Causes of Death

Sample Answer

Healthcare outcomes related to various diseases sometimes depend on how well a patient understands their condition so that they can be in a position to actively participate in the process of care, treatment, and management by collaborating with healthcare professionals. It is also important for healthcare professionals to have an adequate understanding of the pathophysiology and pharmacological treatments of various conditions. One of the conditions that negatively impacts a patient’s life is diabetes, which has main types such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes (Reed et al.,2021). While both have substantial prevalence, type 2 diabetes is more prevalent.

It is important to understand its pathophysiology. Malfunctioning of the feedback loops between insulin secretion and action leads to high levels of glucose in the blood. The production of insulin can be reduced, which leads to a limitation of the body’s ability to have normal glucose levels. There are also cases of insulin resistance where the body becomes resistant to insulin effects, hence failing to take up glucose from the bloodstream (Galicia-Garcia et al.,2020). Diabetes has various clinical manifestations, including glycosuria, high blood pressure, poor blood circulation, numbness or tingling, slow wound healing, blurred vision, fatigue, increased hunger, excessive thirst, and increased need for urination.

Diabetes can be diagnosed using various modalities. They include the Random Plasma Glucose Test, Hemoglobin A1c Test, Oral Glucose Tolerance Test, and Fasting Plasma Glucose Test (Moravej Aleali et al.,2019). The major focus of these tests is to determine the blood glucose levels. Depending on the type of test, a particular benchmark can be used. Various medications can be used for diabetes. The medications include Metformin, Sulfonylureas such as Micronase, DPP-4 inhibitors such as Januvia, and insulin, among other medications.

Lifestyle changes or adjustments can also be used to help control diabetes. They include engaging in regular physical activity, healthy eating, which involves the use of a balanced diet, minimization of carbohydrate intake, and limiting sugary foods (Viswanathan et al.,2019). Others include reduction of alcohol intake for those who use it and smoking cessation.

References

• Galicia-Garcia, U., Benito-Vicente, A., Jebari, S., Larrea-Sebal, A., Siddiqi, H., Uribe, K. B., … & Martín, C. (2020). Pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(17), 6275. https //doi.org/10.3390/ijms21176275
• Moravej Aleali, A., Amani, R., Shahbazian, H., Namjooyan, F., Latifi, S. M., & Cheraghian, B. (2019). The effect of hydroalcoholic Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) extract on fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, lipid profile, liver, and renal function tests in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus A randomized double‐blind clinical trial. Phytotherapy Research, 33(6), 1648-1657. https //doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6351
• Reed, J., Bain, S., & Kanamarlapudi, V. (2021). A review of current trends with type 2 diabetes epidemiology, aetiology, pathogenesis, treatments and future perspectives. Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity, 3567-3602. https //doi.org/10.2147/DMSO.S319895
• Viswanathan, V., Krishnan, D., Kalra, S., Chawla, R., Tiwaskar, M., Saboo, B., … & Jaggi, S. (2019). Insights on medical nutrition therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus an Indian perspective. Advances In Therapy, 36, 520-547. Doi 10.1007/s12325-019-0872-8