(CIE A2 biology) Homeostasis - diabetes + glucose testing

Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes Mellitus

A chronic condition characterized by high blood sugar levels due to insulin production issues or cellular response to insulin.

Type 1 Diabetes

An autoimmune form of diabetes where the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin, often genetically influenced.

Type 2 Diabetes

A non-insulin dependent form of diabetes where cells become less responsive to insulin, often acquired during one's lifetime.

Hyperglycemia

A condition of elevated blood glucose levels, commonly associated with diabetes.

Extreme Consequences

Severe complications of uncontrolled diabetes include limb amputations, kidney failure, and blindness.

Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes

Factors include obesity, lack of exercise, high-sugar diets, genetic predisposition, and family history.

Common Treatments

Treatments for diabetes include insulin injections, pancreas transplants, and islet cell transplants.

Glucose Reabsorption

Normally, glucose from meals is reabsorbed in the proximal convoluted tubule, resulting in urine without glucose.

Diabetic Urine

In diabetes, excess blood glucose leads to glucose in urine, increased thirst, and frequent urination.

Keto-Acid Levels

Slower cellular glucose uptake in diabetes increases cellular keto-acid levels, lowering pH.

Urine Testing

Urine tests can diagnose diseases, confirm pregnancies, and detect drug misuse through metabolic waste analysis.

Dipstick Testing

Urine dipstick tests use glucose oxidase and peroxidase enzymes to measure urine sugar levels, indicating diabetes if glucose exceeds 180 mg/dL.

Color Change in Dipsticks

Higher glucose levels result in darker dipstick colors due to the formation of a brown compound from peroxidase activity.

Biosensors

Digital testing devices for diabetes that use pads releasing glucose oxidase via electric current for glucose measurement.

Electrode Calibration

Electrodes in biosensors detect electric currents and calibrate them against known glucose concentrations for accurate readings.