FREE ESSAY ON DIABETES MELLITUS

DIABETES MELLITUS

Diabetes occurs when the pancreas either cannot or has trouble making enough insulin to
control the sugar a person receives from their food. (Bete, Co. 1972) Diabetes Mellitus
is broken down into two groups: Juvenile (Type One), and Adult (Type Two) (McHenry,
1993).
Type One diabetics are insulin dependant. People under forty years of age are more prone
to this type. They have low serum insulin levels and it more often affects small blood
vessels in eyes and kidneys. Type Two diabetics are non-insulin dependant. This type is
prone to people over forty years of age. They have low, normal or high serum insulin
levels. It most often affects large blood vessels and nerves (Long, 1993).
Type One diabetes was one of the earliest diseases to be documented by historians. Once
called honey urine and the Persian fire. The name diabetes was conceived by the Greek
physician Arteus almost eighteen hundred years ago. The disease remained a mystery until
1700 when an English doctor demonstrated that a diabetic's blood was abnormally high in
sugar (Aaseng, 1995). Thus, bringing to the conclusion that diabetics are unable to use
blood sugar as other persons bodies do (McHenry, 1993). With this fact, a young doctor
named Fredrick Banting and a biochemist, Charles Best, were lead to the discovery of
manufacturing insulin, the hormone for which is the key to blood sugar processing. Many
diabetics lives have been saved because of this discovery (Aaseng, 1995).
A person is at risk of this disorder if they have diabetic relatives, are over the age of
forty years, are over-weight, and if they are of certain racial or ethnic groups. Women
with gestational diabetes who give birth to a baby that weighs more than nine pounds are
also at good risk of conducting this disease (Long, 1993). Higher numbers of diabetics
occur more in Caucasian people than other races, and the highest incidents of Type One
diabetes in the world are found in people residing in Scandinavian countries (Aaseng,
1995). 
Some signs and symptoms of this disorder are: an increased thirst and appetite, frequent
urination, fatigue or anxiety, sickness of the stomach, loss of weight, skin infections,
blurred vision, or numbness to feet and hands. Blood, urine, or supplementary tests can
be done to determine whether a person is diabetic. Once diagnosed, the patient can be
treated by making changes in their diet, exercising regularly, injecting themselves with
insulin, or taking oral medications (Diabetes, 1997). Type Two may be treated by only
maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly (Long, 1993).
There is no known cure for type one diabetes, only treatments. Since Banting's and Best's
discovery, insulin injections have been the primary treatment. A decade long study
completed in 1993 by the National Institute of Health (NIH) found that more frequent
shots may help infected people live longer and stay healthier (Aaseng, 1955). Presently,
curing and prevention measures are being studied to treat Type One diabetes and hopefully
science will produce better treatments and medicines to combat the disease (Long, 1993).
Diabetes, no matter what kind or form, is a very serious disease. If it is overlooked it
could lead to complications such as kidney disease, gangrene, blindness, and heart
attacks. If a person suffers from any of the symptoms they should consult a physician or
a dietician. In the end, life is not over after having been diagnosed with diabetes. Over
the last century, the treatments have gotten stronger and in the future they will grow
even better. Through simple measures one could live out their full life while being a
diabetic patient.
Works Cited
McHenry, Robert. Diabetes Mellitus. Encyclopedia Brittannica. 1993 ed.
Aaseng, Nathan. Autoimmune Diseases. New York, New York: Franklin Watt, Co. 1995.
Long, Barbera, Wilma Phipps, Virginia Cassmeyer. Medical Surgical Nursing. St. Louis,
Missouri: Mosby, 1993.
Diabetes 1997. http:/www.diabetes.org/ada/c20b.csp. (16 December 1998)
Diabetes, Channing L. Bete Co., Inc. 1972. Pamplet