Diabetes Mellitus

Flashcards about Diabetes Mellitus

Is there a cure for diabetes mellitus?

There is not yet a cure for diabetes, but individuals with healthcare and access to medication can live long fulfilling lives.

What is the role of glucose in the body, and what hormone is needed for its utilization?

Glucose is the primary energy source for the body, requiring insulin to be transported into cells for energy use.

What is the underlying issue with insulin in individuals with diabetes?

Individuals with diabetes either do not produce insulin or cannot effectively use the insulin that is produced.

What are the key characteristics of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus?

This type accounts for 5% to 10% of all diabetes cases, develops rapidly, and is caused by autoimmune destruction of β cells in the pancreas.

For what other forms of autoimmune diseases are patients with Type 1 Diabetes at risk?

Autoimmune diseases such as Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Addison’s disease, Celiac disease, Autoimmune hepatitis, and Autoimmune enteropathy.

What are common symptoms experienced by individuals with Type 1 diabetes at the time of diagnosis?

Recent unexplained weight loss and a higher risk for acidosis.

What are the key characteristics of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus?

This type accounts for approximately 90% to 95% of diabetes cases and is closely associated with lifestyle and environmental factors leading to excess body fat and lack of physical activity.

List the risk factors for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Overweight, physical inactivity, family history, high-risk race/ethnicity, history of gestational diabetes, hypertension, abnormal cholesterol levels, polycystic ovarian syndrome, elevated HgA1c, cardiovascular disease, and age ≥45 years.

Which ethnicities have the highest rates of Type 2 Diabetes?

Native American, Hispanic, African-American, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Mediterranean heritages

What treatments do individuals with Type 2 Diabetes rely on to manage their disease?

Diet, exercise, and oral medications.

What treatments do Type 2 Diabetics need to prevent imminent death?

Weight loss, oral hypoglycemic agents, insulin, or both may be necessary, diet management and exercise are important.

What is Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)?

A form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy, with normal blood glucose control usually recovered after delivery.

What are the potential complications associated with persistent hyperglycemia in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM)?

Increased risk of intrauterine fetal death and macrosomia.

What conditions or agents affect the pancreas that can cause secondary diabetes?

Genetic defects, pancreatic conditions or diseases, endocrinopathies, and drug- or chemical-induced diabetes.

What hormones are antagonistic to insulin and can lead to hyperglycemia when produced in excessive amounts?

Growth hormone, cortisol, glucagon, and epinephrine.

What specific drugs and toxins can impair insulin secretion or action, leading to diabetes?

Vacor, pentamidine, nicotinic acid, glucocorticoids, thyroid hormone, thiazides, diazoxide, phenytoin, β-adrenergic agonists, α-interferon.

What is Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT)?

A fasting blood glucose level higher than normal (>100 mg/dL) but less than the level for diabetes (≥126 mg/dL).

List the early signs and symptoms of diabetes.

Increased thirst (polydipsia), increased urination (polyuria), and increased hunger (polyphagia).

What results will laboratory tests show when testing for diabetes.

Hyperglycemia, abnormal glucose tolerance tests, elevated glycosylated hemoglobin A1c, and glucosuria.

If the disease is left uncontrolled, what results may occur?

Water and electrolyte imbalance, ketoacidosis, and coma.

What is the definition of Diabetes, including which three energy-yielding nutrients are involved?

It is a disease that involves all three energy-yielding nutrients: carbohydrate, fat, and protein.

What are the three basic stages of normal glucose metabolism?

Initial interchange with glycogen (glycogenolysis) and reduction to a smaller central compound (glycolysis pathway), joining with fat and protein (pyruvate link), and final common energy production (citric acid cycle and electron transport chain).

What are the 2 sources that provide the body with glucose?

Dietary intake and glycogen.

How does the body use glucose?

Burning it during cell oxidation, changing it to glycogen, and converting it to fat.

What is Glucagon?

A hormone that can rapidly break down stored glycogen in the liver through glycogenolysis in response to hypoglycemia.

What is Somatostatin?

A pancreatic hormone that acts as a referee for several other hormones that affect blood glucose levels.

How does insulin affect fat metabolism, and what happens in the absence of insulin?

Insulin promotes lipogenesis and inhibits lipolysis. In the absence of functioning insulin, lipolysis in the adipose tissue increases in an effort to burn fatty acids for energy.

Name the long-term complications associated with diabetes mellitus.

Retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, heart disease, and dyslipidemia.

What is the recommended glycosylated hemoglobin A1c level?

<7.0%

What does the goal of Glycemic Control and Medication seek to do?

To keep a person relatively free from symptoms of hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and glycosuria.

How do sulfonylureas, biguanides, and alpha-glucosidase inhibitors effect blood glucose levels?

Sulfonylureas stimulate the release of insulin from β cells. Biguanides suppress hepatic glucose production. Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors slow the breakdown of starches, delaying the rise in blood glucose levels that occurs after a meal.

What dietary pattern is encouraged for good health?

A dietary pattern that includes carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and dairy products.

What are the two most commonly used approaches in dietary guides for diabetes management?

Carbohydrate counting or the food exchange method that is tailored to meet the individual needs of the patient.

What is one of the benefits of carbohydrate counting in managing diabetes.

One benefit of carbohydrate counting is that meal plans are much less stringent and flexibility is more easily accommodated.

What kind of foods should people with diabetes eat?

People with diabetes should eat the regular, well-balanced diet that is recommended for the general population to promote health and prevent disease.

What can general illness impact with respect to diabetes?

Illnesses can complicate diet management and blood glucose control.