Diabetes and hypoglycaemia Flashcards
How are blood glucose levels maintained?
Dietary carbohydrate
Glycogenolysis, glycogen in liver broken down to release glucose
Gluconeogenesis, use of non-glucose sources to produce glucose
In the fed state what happens when glasma glucose increases?
Insulin released
causes decreased glycogenolysis (breakdown of glycogen in liver)
or decrease in production of glucose via glucogenolysis
increase in uptake of glucose into liver, converted to glycogen for storage
increase in peripheral uptake by muscles and adipose tissues
decrease in peripheral catabolism- lipolysis, and proteolysis
Blood glucose falls during fasting state, what happens to insulin?
Decrease in insulin production by pancreas
Increase in gluconeogenesis, liver increases production of glucose using non-glucose sources e.g lactic amino acids
peripheral uptake of glucose decreases (decrease in glucose going into muscles and adipose)
peripheral catabolism increases, lipolysis and proteolysis, releases glucose into blood stream
Why do we need to regulate plasma glucose levels?
need enough glucose to fuel body, brain and erthryocytes require continuous supply of glucose
too much glucose can cause pathological changes in tissues
what is the role of insulin in the liver?
insulin inhibits gluconeogenesis, the production of glucose from non-glucose substance.
Insulin is involved in synthesis of glycogen in the liver
And involved in synthesis of lipids or lipogenesis
What is the role of insulin in striated muscles?
Insulin is involved in the uptake of glucose from the bloodstream into the muscle cells, to reduce the plasma glucose level
Involved in synthesis of glycogen and proteins
What is the role of insulin in adipose tissues?
Insulin helps uptake of glucose into fat cells, decreasing level of glucose in plasma
Involved in synthesis of lipids, lipogenesis, inhibiting lipolysis
What are the counter-regulatory hormones to insulin?
Do the opposite of promoting storage and growth of glucose in muscles nad liver
Glucagon
Epinephrine
Cortisol
Growth hormone
What does glucagon do?
Activates gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis - mobilises fuel
when insulin tries to decrease plasma glucose, glucagon can increase glucose level
activates fatty acid release
What is the function of epinephrine?
stimulates glycogenolysis, breaks down glycogen and release glucose into blood stream
stimulates fatty acid release
mobilising fuels in acute stress
What is the function of cortisol?
Amino acid mobilisation
gluconeogenesis, blood glucose level can increase when we become stressed
What is the function of growth hormone?
inhibits insulin action by stimulating lipolysis
insulin causes lipogenesis in liver and fatty cells, GH inhibits this by stimulating lipolysis
What is diabetes mellitus chracterised by? What causes this?
Chronic hyperglycaemia, glycosuria and associated abnormalities of lipid and protein metabolism.
caused by increased glucose level up to 10mmol/l, leading to glycosuria
What are the classifications of diabetes?
Type 1: deficiency in insulin secretion due to an autoimmune destruction of beta cells of pancreas by t cells
Type 2: insulin secretion is retained but there is target organ resistant to its actions
Secondary diabetes: due to chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic surgery, there is secretion of antagonists to insulin
Gestational: occurs for first time in pregnancy, disappears after giving birth
Who is type 1 DM common in?
What is the commonest cause?
Children, young adult. Sudden onset (days/weeks)
commonest cause is autoimmune destruction of B-cells of pancreas
- due to interaction between environmental and genetic factors
- strong link with HLA genes within MHC region of chr 6