Diabetes: Complications, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Diabetes mellitus is defined as a disease in which the body is unable to metabolize or use sugars properly (Belinda, Teresa, et al 10). It occurs when the body produces no insulin or just produces little insulin (David 4). There is ineffective utilization of glucose in the body leading to periods of hyperglycemia. It requires a long term administration of medicines so as to reduce the possible complications and also their management incase of them happening. It is a disease that widely affects many organs including the heart, the kidneys, locomotors system and eyes among others. There are two types of diabetes namely the type 1 and type 2. Type two is very common in the United States of America with most people among the sixteen million Americans with diabetes suffering from it (Cave & Janet). The amount of glucose levels in the blood can be measured by the estimation of the total glycosylated hemoglobin or the concentration of glucose in the blood (Delores). 

Heart Complications in Diabetes

This is usually the leading complication which results in death in persons with diabetes. In fact, heart and blood vessel complications account for almost three quarters of all diabetes related deaths. People suffering from diabetes have an increased predisposition to heart diseases, being about two to four times. People with type- two of diabetes, and are unlikely to have heart diseases, have an increase in the risk of having an attack of the heart later in their lives. The heart complications are secondary to coronary artery atherosclerosis. It occurs earlier and it is more severe in people with diabetes which leads to an increase in the risk of having ischemic heart disease.

Eye Complications of Diabetes

The impact of diabetes on the eyes is called diabetes retinopathy. It occurs in four stages, with damage to the small vessels of the eyes. It is a leading cause of blindness in America. It is usually diagnosed by a thorough physical examination of the eye. Good control of the blood sugars of a diabetic person usually reduces the chance to get eye complications and also reduces the possibility of these complications progressing rapidly. Increased levels of sugars are deposited in the micro vessels of the eye. They are then converted to sorbital which leads to blocking of this vessel by that sugar. This leads to micro vascular damage to the tiny vessels of the eye and therefore leading to destruction of the eye. The eye then slowly looses its ability to see. These tiny vessels of the eye are located in the light sensitive part of the eye called retina. The destruction of the micro vessels interferes with the blood supply of the retina leading to abnormal function of retina and therefore poor vision.

It begins progressively without the person noticing at first which gets worse with time and leads to progressive vision loss. It affects both of the eyes of the diabetic person who has his or her sugar levels poorly controlled. It has four phases which include mild non-proliferative retinopathy, moderate non-proliferative retinopathy, severe non-proliferative retinopathy and proliferative retinopathy. Mild non-proliferative retinopathy represents the earliest phase of the diabetic retinopathy. It is characterized by the occurrence of micro aneurisms in the light sensitive part of the eye called the retina. Micro aneurisms are swellings which look like a small balloon in the small vessels of the retina.

Moderate non-proliferative retinopathy is the blockage of the small vessels supplying the retina. Therefore there is reduction in the amount of blood flowing into the retina. It does not include all the vessels of the retina but has involvement of only some vessels. There is compromised flow of blood to the retina but not sufficient enough to cause the person with diabetes to loose his sight completely since he or she still has many vessels which are intact supplying the retina. The severe non-proliferative retinopathy involves a lot of the tiny vessels of the retina. There is a considerable blockage of the micro vessels supplying the retina. The result is depriving the retina off its nourishment. Due to this inadequacy of the blood supply to the retina, the areas affected send signals to the whole body which lead to growth of new blood vessels for the purpose of supplying blood to the affected area.

Proliferative retinopathy is the most advanced stage of the diabetic retinopathy. It is a result of the adaptive response by the retina of producing signals which stimulate growth of some new blood vessels so as to supply the affected areas in the retina. The growth of the new vessels is called the proliferative retinopathy. The new vessels which have been formed are usually very fragile and are abnormal. The vessels usually grows along the clear, vitreous gel surface which is the fluid filling the eye. The thin delicate walls of the vessels are the one which causes the pathology. The walls of the vessels sometimes leaks causing severe loss of vision. About twelve thousands to twenty four thousands people suffering from diabetes usually loose completely their eye sight each year (Monique, Altha, et. el.).

Impact of Diabetes on the Feet

Generally, diabetes leads to an increase in the glucose levels which affect the various blood vessels of the body. This results to damage of nerves of the foot and also a poor flow of the blood in to that extremity. These results in a condition called the diabetic foot. When the nerves have been destroyed, the patient is not able sense heat, pain and cold on that foot since the nerves are not able to transmit the nerve impulses to the brain for perceiving of that sensory stimulation. The people are also not able to heal wounds easily since there is poor perfusion of the foot. The foot or the leg is highly predisposed to attack by infectious agents for example the bacteria as a result of poor perfusion of the affected part of the body and therefore the immune mechanisms of the individual can not function properly. As a result, diabetic patients are advised to be checking their feet regularly to see if there are sores, cuts, blisters, erythematic, calluses or any other problem affecting the foot.

Kidney Complications of Diabetes

Type- one- diabetes is more likely to cause kidney damage in a diabetic patient although both of them are able to cause the damage. Type 1 diabetic patients are more likely to go into kidney failure than their counterparts with type 2 diabetes. The most common cause of kidney failure is diabetes and it usually accounts for not less than forty percent of all patients who are newly diagnosed with kidney failure. The kidneys are in a state whereby they can not excrete the waste products of the body and can not maintain the electrolyte balances within the body systems. This is usually the last stage of a kidney disease as a result to a process called nephropathy. Therefore, the kidneys can not filter blood so as to make it clean, they can not reduce the amount of water in the blood when it is excess and they can not excrete electrolytes which are in excess in blood. It can lead to lack of urine production or an increase in the production of the urine but with a considerable rise in the Urea and creatinine levels of blood.

The process of diabetic nephropathy takes some time to develop. First, it leads to hyper-filtration in the affected individual, followed by small amounts of proteinuria, a condition called micro-albuminuria. The kidney then enters another stage of more protein loosing in the urine and there is compromised filtering function of the kidney which leads to a rise in the pressure of the blood. There is also a decrease in the excretion of the blood wastes like urea therefore the concentration of these wastes rises in the blood. About forty eight thousand diabetics usually develop kidney disease, usually end stage per year. In nephropathy associated with diabetes, there is hardening of the soft tissues of the kidney, in a process referred to as sclerosis (Monique, Altha, et al.)

Nervous System and Diabetes

Diabetes usually affects the vessels of which supply the nerves. The result is that the nerves loose their blood supply. Therefore, the nerves are unable to obtain blood supply which is vital for the provision of nutrients and oxygen. Since the nerves are areas of high metabolic activity, they loose their function since they can not operate without the supply of blood. Of the total diabetics, there are sixty to seventy (60-70) percent patients who experience some degree of damage of the nervous system (Monique, Altha, et. el.).

Insulin

Usually patients who have type 1 diabetes mellitus must use insulin so as for their bodies to be able to use glucose (Belinda,Teresa et. el.). Insulin works by increasing the utilization of glucose by cells. For example, it increases the hepatic oxidation of glucose and therefore decreasing its concentration in the blood. Insulin also increases the hepatic conversion of glucose into glycogen and therefore making the excess glucose to be stored for future use. In diabetes especially type 1, there is an increase in the free fatty acids in the blood. Insulin decreases the mobilization of fats into free fatty acids and therefore reducing their concentration in blood. In addition, insulin also increases the uptake of free fatty acids into adipocytes and then be converted into complexes of lipids leading to less free fatty acids in the blood.

Works Cited

Belinda, R., Teresa, G. O., Tish D., & Laurie F. Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, America: Jacksonville College, 2009.

Cave, Janet. Type II Diabetes–Your Healthy Living Guide: Tips, Techniques and Practical Advice for Living Well with Diabetes. America: Jacksonville College, 2003.

David, M. N. Diabetes: A plan for living (Harvard Special Health Report), 2009.

Delores James. Nutrition and Well-being  America: Jacksonville, 2004.

Monique, L., Altha R., Frey, J., & Jacqueline, L. L. Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. America: Jacksonville College, 2009.