Diabetes & its control

Question 1

What is diabetes?

Answer 1

• diabetes is a disease in which a person is unable to metabolic carbohydrate, especially glucose, properly
• there are around 350 million people worldwide with diabetes, 3.2 million of whom are in the UK
• in addition, a further 1 million people in the UK are thought to have the disease but are currently unaware of it
• one form of diabetes is diabetes mellitus or sugar diabetes
• diabetes is a metabolic disorder caused by an inability to control blood glucose concentration due to a lack of the hormone insulin or a loss of responsiveness to insulin

Question 2

What are the two forms of diabetes?

Answer 2

• type 1 (insulin dependent)

- type 2 (insulin independent)

Question 3

What is type 1 (insulin dependent)?

Answer 3

• type 1 is due to the body being unable to produce insulin
• it normally begins in childhood
• it may be the result of an autoimmune response whereby the body immune system attacks its own cells, in this case the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans
• type 1 diabetes develops quickly, usually over a few weeks and the signs and symptoms are normally obvious

Question 4

What is type 2 (insulin independent)?

Answer 4

• type 2 is normally due to glycoprotein receptors on body cells being lost or losing their responsiveness to insulin
• however, it may also be due to an inadequate supply of insulin from the pancreas
• type 2 diabetes usually develops in people over the age of 40 years
• there is however an increasing number of cases of obesity and poor diet leading to type 2 diabetes in adolescents
• it develops slowly and the symptoms are normally less servers and may go unnoticed
• people who are overweight are particularly likely to develop toe 2 diabetes
• about 90% of people with diabetes have type 2

Question 5

What is the control of diabetes?

Answer 5

• although diabetes cannot be cured, recent trials in transplanting insulin-producing cells have shown promise
• diabetes can also be successfully treated
• treatment varies depending on the type of diabetes

Question 6

What is the treatment of type 1 diabetes?

Answer 6

• type 1 diabetes is controlled by injections of insulin
• this cannot be taken by mouth because, being a protein, it would be digested in the alimentary canal
• it is therefore injected, typically either two or four times a day
• the dose of insulin must be matched exactly to the glucose intake
• if a person with diabetes takes too much insulin, he or she will experience a low blood glucose concentration that can result in unconsciousness
• to ensure the correct dose, blood glucose concentration is monitored using biosensors
• by injecting insulin and managing their carbohydrate intake and exercise carefully, people with diabetes can lead normal lives

Question 7

What is the treatment of type 2 diabetes?

Answer 7

• type 2 diabetes is usually controlled by regulating the intake of carbohydrate in the in the diet and matching this to the amount of exercise taken
• in some cases, this may be supplemented by injections of insulin or by the use of drugs that stimulate insulin production
• other drugs can slow down the rate at which the body absorbs glucose from the intestine