Diabetes 5.4.4 Flashcards
What is diabetes?
A condition in which the homeostatic control of blood glucose has failed or deteriorated
What has happened to an individual for diabetes to occur?
Their insulin function is disrupted which allows the glucose concentration in the blood to rise
- The kidneys are often unable to filter out this excess glucose in the blood and so it often appears in the urine
Why does an individual with diabetes feel thirsty?
As the increased glucose concentration (unable to filter it out) causes the kidneys to produce large quantities of urine, making the individual feel thirsty due to dehydration
What are the two types of diabetes?
Type I and Type II
What is type I diabetes?
A condition in which the pancreas fails to produce sufficient insulin to control blood glucose levels
What is the cause of type I diabetes?
Due to an autoimmune response whereby the body’s immune system attacks the B cells of the islets of langerhans in the pancreas - therefore insulin cannot be synthesised
Why does an individual with type I diabetes feel fatigued?
As the lack of insulin also affects glycogen stores which results in a feeling of fatigue
How is type I diabetes treated?
- Regular blood tests
- Insulin injections
- Diabetes appropriate diet
What happens if blood glucose concentration becomes too high?
Organ damage may occur
What is a diabetes appropriate diet?
- Five portions of fruit and veg
- Minimally processed food
- Consuming more polysaccharides than monosaccharides or disaccharides
What two things can the insulin used by diabetics be?
Fast acting or slow acting - each allowing for a different level of control
Which diabetes type is more common
Type II
Who does type II diabetes develop in?
Those aged 40 and over
Describe type II diabetes
The pancreas still produces insulin but the receptors have reduced in number so no longer respond to it - resulting in a reduced sensitively to insulin
What is the result of the lack of response to insulin in type II diabetes?
There is a reduced glucose uptake which leads to an uncontrolled high blood glucose concentration - causing the B cells to produce larger amounts of insulin which ultimately damages them
What are sufficient treatments for early stage type II diabetes
A sugar and fat controlled diet and an exercise regime
What are 4 known risk factors for type II diabetes?
- Obesity
- Physical inactivity
- High blood pressure
- High blood cholesterol
What is another influencing factor for developing type 2 diabetes?
Genetics as having a relative with type 2 diabetes makes an individual more likely to develop it
Why do people with diabetes suffer from high blood pressure?
As high blood glucose concentration lowers the water potential of the blood which causes more water to move from the tissues into the blood vessels by osmosis.
As a result there is a larger volume of blood within the circulatory system which causes blood pressure to increase
What is a transgenic organism?
An organism that contains nucleotides from a different species
What is a genetically modified organism?
One that has introduced genetic material
What has recombinant DNA been used for?
To produce recombinant proteins - and are used for research purposes and for treatments
What are recombinant proteins generated from?
Microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast
What was the first recombinant human protein to be approved for use in diabetes treatment
Insulin
What are 4 advantages for scientists in using recombinant insulin?
- Identical to human insulin
- Reliable supply available
- Fewer rejection problems or side effects
- Fewer ethical, moral, or religious concerns
How can stem cells be used for producing insulin?
Use of stem cells is being investigated
- Stem cells can be treated so that they differentiate into pancreatic B cells
- These can then be transplanted into the pancreas of a diabetic individual, replacing the damaged cells
- Early stage research has not yet advanced into human trials
