Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most serious a type of a disease that is often debilitating and at times the disease can be fatal. This is a disease that prevents the body from producing any amounts of insulin properly and in the same quantity, it is supposed to produce. Insulin is a body hormone that is in charge for regulating the quantity of glucose in the blood. Diabetes can cause an increase in high sugar levels that can harm the internal parts, the vessels and the mental strain in general. Our bodies need the insulin in order to use the sugar as a source of energy. Insulin is also produced in the pancreas (Gallen, 2012). In a well body system, once the blood sugars are very high, some special cells which are located in the pancreas releases the insulin. When there is less insulin in the system, the blood sugar levels will go up since there is no enough insulin to allow the body to use it as energy or in the storage of fats. Basically diabetes is of two types.

Type 1

Type 1 occurs once the body resistant system happens to wipe out all beta cells in the pancreas which are the only cells in the body which have the capability of making the insulin. People can be affected by a certain kind of diabetes called secondary diabetes which is also similar to the type 1 kind but the difference is that the immune system is not responsible for the destruction of the beta cells. In this case, the beta cells are usually damaged by a disease or a certain harm in the pancreas (Hanas, 2009). Diabetes type 1 usually affects only a small percentage of the people in the world. It affects the whites more than the black Americans. It is prone to both the men and the women similarly and even if the disease typically affects individuals who are 20 and above, it can also affect people of any age. Currently, the disease has increased very much among the school age children and especially the whites in the United States according to a new study. The study indicates that there are more than 6,000 cases of diabetes in teenagers and the kids who are between the ages of 19 and below.

The youngsters who are between the age of 9 and 5 have also been affected by the disease but there are lower or no cases of diabetes to children below the age of 4years (Gallen, 2012). Type 1 which was formerly famous noted as juvenile diabetes remains the most predominant type of diabetes found in children. In the Europe, there have been numerous increases in diabetes type 1. Findings from the United States study of children with diabetes indicates that the disease is now affecting even the black Americans. Currently, there are more than 2million children who have diabetes in the whole of United States. The disease is still on the rise since, in the year 2009, there were only 24.4% per 100,000 kids but presently there are 27.4% per 100,000 kids according to the reports. In the world, there are only 5% of all the people in the world who have diabetes type 1 according to a research done by the association for American diabetes.

Causes, Etiology, Symptoms

The symptoms of type 1 can be subtle in nature but they can develop into severe symptoms with time. They can include being very thirsty, having a dry mouth, a person feels to urinate very frequently, having a painful belly, a dry mouth, blurred vision, feeling weak and tired, frequent skin infections etc. The symptoms for the diabetes type1 can begin immediately in very few weeks (Hanas, 2009). Type 1 diabetes can also be caused by the genes, viruses, and environmental factors which might trigger the occurrence of the disease.

Risk factors

Several risk factors which may make diabetes type 1 start to develop include the possibility of the generic marker which may make a person susceptible to diabetes. This generic marker is usually located mostly on chromosome 6 and it is a human leukocyte antigen (HLA). The HLA are mostly connected to the type 1 diabetes and if a person has one or more, this makes it possible to develop diabetes type 1. Viral infections have been noted by researchers to cause the immune system to turn against the body, therefore, triggering the development of diabetes type 1. Ethnicity also is a risk factor for diabetes type 1. For example, in the U.S, Caucasians are the most affected by this epidemic than the black Americans and the Hispanic Americans (Hanas, 2009). The Chinese and the South Americans, on the other hand, have almost zero chance of attracting this disease. The geographical location in many parts of the world seems to be having an effect on the people living in those areas.

People living in the northern climatic conditions have a high possibility of attracting the diabetes type 1. In this parts of the world, people spend more of their times indoors in the winters suggesting that they stay close to each other thus prone to attracting the viral infections. In the same sense, people who live in the southern climates are less likely to attract the diabetes type 1and therefore during winter; diabetes type 1 is very common. Family history is always believed to cause the rest of the family fall for the same kind of lifestyle and diseases (Gallen, 2012). In this case, if a member of a family suffered from diabetes type 1, then it is very common that the disease will be inherited by other members of the family. Research indicates that kids who start dieting at a very tender age are more likely to develop diabetes type 1. This is mostly associated with children who are fed on the cow milk at a very tender age.

Management

The most important objective for treatment is to always maintain the sugar intensity as regular as possible in order to delay or help in preventing any complications that might occur due to being diabetic. Taking insulin can also help in the treatment of diabetes type 1. There are several kinds of insulin mainly the long-acting for example the glargine, rapid-acting, and the intermediate. Stomach enzymes interference with the insulin actions causes the insulin not to be administered by the mouth and instead it is done from either an insulin pump or through injections (Veves et al., 2012). If a person chooses injections, then he or she can choose which type of needles he or she is comfortable with or use an insulin pump to inject under the skin. An insulin pump is a device that is worn outside the body and it is almost similar to a phone size. These types of pumps can be mounted on the waist, in the pocket or as belts. The pumps are mostly designed to provide certain amounts of insulin automatically (Gallen, 2012).This steady regular supply of the insulin is called the basal rate.

 When a person takes in a meal, he or she programs the pump with whatever amounts of carbohydrates being taken and also the blood sugar and the program gives back a bolus dose of the insulin in order to cover the meals and also rectify the blood sugars in case it is elevated. A person can also get an artificial pancreas in the treatment for diabetes. This program links the continuous glucose to an insulin pump. There is a monitor which notifies the need for insulin and communicates to the pump in order to release a certain amount of the insulin. An artificial pancreas is a new research method which is not yet available but a new development for treating diabetes type 1.

Injecting a diabetic with pramlintide before eating can help lower the rate at which the food is being moved in the stomach thereby curbing the increase in which blood sugars occur after every meal. Individuals with blood pressures of above 140/40 can use high blood pressure medication and this in a way helps in maintaining a healthy kidney. Regular intake of aspirin is also recommended by the doctors. Statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs that are recommended in cholesterol victims and this can be very helpful in diabetics. Regularly monitoring the blood sugar levels is very important. Before the meals, snacks or any intake of foodstuffs is the recommended schedule of checking the blood sugar. On a normal day check the blood sugar levels at least 4 times. The current way of monitoring the sugar levels is by use of a continuous glucose monitoring and this is helpful in the prevention of hypoglycemia. Eating healthy is a better way of treating diabetes. The meals should be nutritious, high in fiber, and low in fat levels. Taking a lot of whole grain, fruits and vegetables are recommended. Regular physical exercises are highly important. On a single day, a grown-up should take 30 minutes of aerobics such as swimming, biking and walking after a doctor’s advice. For kids, 1 hour is the recommended amount of time one should spend having the exercises. Being flexible and having strength is the goal and is a person is not used to doing that then he or she should start early enough.       

Diabetes type 2

Type 2 kind of diabetes is a long life type which affects in every way the handling of the glucose level in the blood. Many people living in the United States have his type of diabetes. Study research indicates that there are more than 27million people living with diabetes today and another group of more than 86 million who have pre-diabetes. This person living with pre-diabetes has their blood sugars as standard though not already elevated enough to be diagnosed as diabetes (Barnett, 2012). About 90% of people in the world who have diabetes have type 2.  Type 2 is commonly found in grownups but in kids also.

Etiology and Symptoms

The indicator of type 2 is almost comparable to the type 1 but in most cases they are mild and individuals suffering from diabetes cannot notice them (Nabors, 2016). They include having a blurry vision, wounds which do not heal, occasionally being irritable, feeling so worn out, having to pee a lot, a yeast infection that does not seem to disappear forever, and being excessively thirsty.

 Causes

Type 2 is commonly caused by a number of factors such as the kind of lifestyle a person is living and the genes. Overweight, physical inactivity and being obese can cause diabetes type 1. Individuals who are physically inactive, and obese and very overweight are most likely in a position to attract diabetes type 2. Having extra weight causes insulin resistance and this is a risky state. The body fat location in our bodies makes the difference. Having the extra belly fat is highly linked to increasing the risk of insulin resistance and also the blood and heart vessel disease. To note that you are at the risk of attracting diabetes type 2 if one needs to first check his or her Body Mass Index. Insulin resistance is also a high contributor to diabetes type 2. Diabetes in the real sense begins with the body lacking enough insulin in the body which is a condition where the muscles, the liver, and also the fat cells usually do not use the insulin accordingly (Barnett, 2012). This, as a result, causes the body to require more of the insulin in order to help the glucose to enter into the cells.

Initially, the pancreas creates more of the insulin to help the body keep up with the high demand of the insulin. However, after some time the pancreas cannot keep up with the demand and now it cannot make the required insulin making the blood glucose levels to go up. Too much of the glucose in the liver also causes the diabetes type 2. When the blood sugar is less, the liver creates and sends the glucose out. When a person is eating, the blood sugar rises and in this case, the liver will slow down the supply and store the glucose for later. In other people, the liver does not stop the supply of the sugar and so it keeps adding (Barnett, 2012). Poor communication between the cells will at times send the wrong idea or at times fail to receive the messages send correctly. In case these difficulties affect how the cells create and also use the insulin or the glucose, these chain reaction can cause the occurrence diabetes. 

Broken data cells also can cause diabetes. When the cells that are responsible for making the insulin send incorrect quantity of insulin during the incorrect time, the sugar levels is eliminated and the glucose will destroy the cell.

   

Threat factors

 

Diabetes type two is mostly influenced by the kind of lifestyle we live. Insulin resistance as discussed earlier is the main factor which means that the body can no longer use the insulin the body supplies. The body can have a steady supply of insulin needed to transport glucose but the body resists the insulin. Family history can be a contributor of the diabetes type two from the hereditary factors. Race is also a contributor to diabetes type 2. Age in many cases is a contributor to diabetes type 2 especially individuals who are above the age of 45 and when one hits 65, the probability increases. During gestation period, if a person develops diabetes then it is likely that the person will develop diabetes type 2. The polycystic ovary syndrome increases the chances since this is highly related to the insulin resistance.

 

Treatment

Eating healthy meals reduces the effects of diabetes type 2. There are no specific diets for people suffering from diabetes type 2 but it is advisable that one should concentrate on a high fiber meal with less fat. Avoiding the intake of animal products, sweets, and carbohydrates that are refined reduce diabetes type 2 (Barnett, 2012). Meals with the little glycemic index is useful. Glycemic index is a calibration of how fast the food causes the rise in sugar levels. Regular exercises, monitoring the blood sugar levels, and having diabetes medication can also help in the treatment (Veves et al., 2012).

 

Part 2

Jim is a fifteen-year-old boy who was diagnosed with diabetic at the age of fourteen. Still a school going kid who does not enjoy life since the physical challenges he has to live with are still fresh in his mind. His parents have been his most supportive friends since at school he cannot associate much with whatever other kids are doing (Nabors, 2016). This feeling of being left out in the society has affected his thinking and his morale in life. In the real sense, diabetes was a problem of the old who had enjoyed much in life without warnings or having encountered any hardships during their childhood. Currently, the disease has been affecting even the young kids who do not even have an idea what kind of a disease it is. Living with diabetes is the hardest work a kid of this age can be given.

Children start to feel the feeling of being left out in the society and also feeling like a burden to their parents. The feeling of being in denial is also very common among the kids since every kid wants to do and act like the other kinds which are sometimes very difficult since the kids have to act independently in order to avoid the dangerous encounters. Children start to feel very guilty of their conditions even though they never developed diabetes knowingly. They start feeling like they are causing too much trouble to their parents, teachers, and also their siblings (Nabors, 2016). There is the feeling of anger, resentment and frustrations in life may occur. Parents might be spending so much in treating their kids and this creates a negative perception in the minds of the kids. He might reject any medications since he feels that the burden on their parents is too much and therefore boycott taking any more medicine. Fear and anxiety may be created in the minds of kids, therefore, causing panic in most cases.

 

Educational implications

 

 Diabetic kids have had a very hard time trying to cope with the trends and this has made it difficult to concentrate on their studies, therefore, becoming weak in their studies. Diabetes causes the diminishing of the neuronal functions thereby leading to the cognitive dysfunction in certain areas such as intelligence, the memory, information processing, attention, learning process, and academic achievements. Impaired intelligence, attention, and memory of the children are the leading disadvantage of children with diabetes. Type 1 is a highly dangerous type of diabetes in children which is mainly associated with the cognitive deficits especially during adolescent without regarding the quality of metabolic controls and the disease duration (Gallen, 2012). The basic understanding of the knowledge may be affected thereby affecting the performance of the children who have been diagnosed with diabetes. Conceptual learning and understanding have also been adversely affected by diabetes thereby deteriorating in memory of the kids compare to kids who are healthy. The reductions in cognitive functions are mostly associated with the disease duration and the hyperglycemia with early onset raising the risk of developing problems.  This generally indicates that the children who are diabetic have a lower level of understanding than the others. Jim faces this and other major scholarly challenges which have made his life more complex than it used to be (Veves et al., 2012). Getting lower grades in school is not something anybody wants or any parent wants for any kid, it is not a choice but fighting to reduce the effects of this disease will maybe pay off in a better way.

 

Psychosocial needs/implications

 

Psychosocial needs are also known as the Psychosocial factors which include complex environment, behavioral, social, and emotional factors. The parents and kids who have diabetes are mostly challenged by the effects of complex environments. In promotion of optimal medical outcomes and the psychological well-being of the kids and parents in general, there has to be uninterrupted attention and care done on a regular basis (Gallen, 2012). This is usually described as providing the care that is respectful and very essential to the patients as they cannot survive without being taken care of in a good manner. Practicing of personalized psychosocial care needs a lot of commitment and undivided attention, problem identification, psychosocial screening, and evaluation services need to be taken into account seriously. Jim's parents had to always be there to provide that care that is needed all the time in order to prevent any implications that might be triggered by diabetes. Optimal monitoring is required to allow the self-management impact to take effect. Assessing the life circumstances which affect the psychological health and physical outcomes and their incorporation to inventions methodologies is a psychosocial need to diabetics. Addressing any psychosocial problems is highly recommended once the problem is identified. If there will be no follow up when the problem is discovered, then a referral to a qualified health care unit is very important.

 

What the kids need while at school

Children mostly rely on the parents and the school management in ensuring that the conditions are managed effectively while at school. The kid needs undivided attention from both the parent and the school since without it; there could be other complications which might affect him extensively. For the parents, certain organizations such as an association American offers the type 1 with confirmation forms which alert the school of the child’s conditions and also give directives on what ought to be done at such a case (Veves et al., 2012). For the school management, the center for disease control and prevention give an overview of the crucial considerations for the schools which have children such as Jim who has diabetes type 1.

 

Organizations assistance

Certain organizations like the juvenile diabetes association and the associations for diabetes in American have established ways in which such children can be assisted (Nabors, 2016). They provide both the parents and the schools with a form which will be used in making sure that the kids do not suffer. The forms outline what should be done to the kids in case he or she needs help and care.

 

References

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Barnett, A. H. (2012). Type 2 diabetes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.  

Gallen, I. (2012). Type 1 diabetes: Clinical management of the athlete. London: Springer.

Hanas, R. (2009). Type 1 diabetes in children, adolescents and young adults: How to become an expert on your own diabetes. London: Class Pub.

In Prince-Embury, S., & In Saklofske, D. H. (2014). Resilience interventions for youth in diverse             populations.

Nabors, L. (2016). Medical and Mental Health During Childhood: Psychosocial Perspectives      and Positive Outcomes.

Veves, A., Giurini, J. M., & LoGerfo, F. W. (2012). The diabetic foot: Medical and surgical             management. New York, N.Y: Humana Press.