MedSurg Mod 5: Diabetes Flashcards
What is happening with diabetes prevalence
it is increasing among all gender and race groups
What sort of minority groups are disproportionately affected by diabetes
African Americans
Hispanic Americans
Pacific Islanders
Native Americans
Different Classifications of Diabetes
Type 1
Type 2
Gestational
LADA and MODY
Diabetes Associated with other conditions
MODY
Maturity onset diabetes of the young
LADA
latent autoimmune diabetes in the adult
Except in Type 1 Diabetes, what can people do with diabetes categories
move from one to another
If someone says a steroid caused them to have diabetes, what does that mean?
If a person had a lung disease and got steroids to decrease inflammation, the steroids will increase glucose levels and they may rise to a diabetic level
This did not cause diabetes directly but pushed the levels beyond tolerance and the person was probably close to diabetes as well
Why can Cystic Fibrosis cause Diabetes
clogged ducts lead to pancreatic damage which damages beta cells meaning there is no insulin made
S/S of Diabetes
fatigue
thirst (polydipsia)
hunger (polyphagia)
increased urinary output (polyuria)
vision changes
Why does vision change with diabetes?
2 reasons:
- Fluid changes in the eye from dehydration
- Circulating glucose is damaging the retina and structures of the eye
Diagnosis of diabetes involves what?
Symptoms AND any of the following:
- RANDOM blood glc > or equal to 200 mg/dL
- FASTING glc > or equal to 126 mg/dL
- 2 Hour Post Prandial glc > or equal to 200 mg/dL
- HgA1c levels >or equal to 6.5-7%
Why does random blood glucose not usually diagnose diabetes
it has no regard to the time of the day or meals recently eaten among other considerations
Which of the 4 possible diagnostic tests is the classic measure for diagnosing diabetes
Fasting Glucose
HgA1c
it is glucose stuck to hgb/RBC
it is being used more and more nowadays
it is a measure of how much glucose our RBC is exposed to over 3 months and we want that to be below 7%
Can an A1C be drawn at any time with no preparation or fasting unlike a Fasting Glucose?
yes
What level of HgA1c is concerning for diabetes
above 6.5-7%
What level of Fasting glc is concerning for diabetes
> or equal to 126
What are the important topics to educate the diabetic patient about
- Self Care
- Disease Process
- Consequences and Complications
What things need to be included for education on Self care for a diabetic
- SMBG - self monitoring blood glucose
- foot care
- the 3 F’s
What are the 3 F’s
Food
Fitness
Fixes (in illness)
teach these to a diabetic
What are some major consequences and complications that arise from diabetes
Cardiovascular Disease (the big one)
Nephropathy
Neuropathy
Retinopathy
Blood glucose over the limit regardless by how much…
it over the limit and can still cause damage - so it is important to teach people that
What are some options for administering insulin at home
Needle and syringe
insulin pens
jet injectors
insulin pumps
Jet Injectors
Puts insulin in SQ region without a needle
It is not painful but there is a sensation of jet pressured injection
Insulin Pump
It is not an IV, it is put in SQ tissue and insulin is given AND blood glucose levels are monitored
It attempts to mimic normal body changes and can be automatic or decided by you
Why is self monitoring so important in diabetes
- Useful tool as part of diabetes management
- Helps to detect hypoglycemia
- helps to adjust insulin dosing
Freestyle Libre
one continuous glc monitoring system (like another - Dexcom G6) that uses a thin filament to measure glucose every minute - a glucose monitoring innovation
it has a sensor on the back of the arm and a handheld scanner that reads results
It requires a fingerstick for confirmation of problems though
What is important education to teach the diabetic patient regarding being sick or having GI illness
- do NOT eliminate insulin doses even with N/V
- Person should attempt small frequent portions of carbohydrates
- Drink fluids every hour
- Assess blood glucose every 3-4 hours
Why should insulin not be eliminated when sick?
because during times of stress blood glucose levels will rise even if you are not eating
What are the main areas of focus for diabetic foot care
- Daily inspection and bathing of feet
- Properly fitting shoes / podiatry (no bare feet d/t infection and wound risk)
- toenail management (by a podiatrist)
Generally if you hear type 1 Diabetes what are the most common consequences seen
- Blindness
- Kidney Disease (50% of new ESRD pts are diabetic)
- Peripheral Neuropathies
Generally if you hear type 2 diabetes what are the most common consequences seen
- Heart Disease
- HTN
- Stroke
What is important to note about the common consequences of type 1 and 2 diabetes
they can be seen in either type of diabetes, we just generally see certain consequences more commonly in one type or another due to age of diagnosis
for example the cardiovascular issues of type 2 often coincide with a later life diagnosis where the vessel related changes are added on top of it to speed up vessel damage