DIABETES

Diabetes



Abstract

Diabetes is a major public health problem. In past years, approximately 1.1 million people worldwide died from diabetes. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States

(Diaz, 2007). The consequences of diabetes are severe. The disease is associated with heart problems like stroke, kidney failure, blindness, non-traumatic amputations, and nerve damage. There are 2 main forms of diabetes; the type-1 and type-2 diabetes, both are characterized by chronic hyperglycemia. While Type 1 diabetes generally afflicts younger people, it represents a small proportion of diabetic population. Type-2 diabetes accounts for 90% of cases of diabetes, and it occurs later in life. Type-2 diabetes mainly occurs due to a state of insulin resistance, and is associated with overweight. This paper uses a medical perspective in describing the incidence and prevalence of the disease. The introduction provides a brief overview of the disease, followed by description of causes and disease symptoms. Nation-wide statistics with reference to disease's epidemiology are also presented. The paper gives a special focus on the diabetic population of Rio Grande Valley, Texas. This region is selected because a high incidence of disease occurs in its population. Finally, the paper explores the intervention programs introduced at the community level in Rio Grande Valley, and examines their efficacy in controlling the disease.

Diabetes

Introduction

Type 2 diabetes is a disease characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia, that is, by too high rate of glucose (sugar) in the blood. This disease usually occurs in adults and grows with the age, and the affect of this disease is more obese or surplus weight. In a healthy individual, the glycemic control is driven by insulin; that is a hormone secreted by the pancreas. Insulin allows the entry of sugar into cells so that it gets used as fuel, particularly in muscle and liver. In a person with type 2 diabetes, the body becomes unable to regulate blood sugar that is control the level of glucose in the blood. In the medical terms when the glucose in blood raises the phenomenon called is hyperglycemia (Hogan, 2002). In the long term, if glucose in blood is not reduced by treatments, it can cause serious health problems, particularly cardiovascular problems. This chronic disease requires individualized treatment and close monitoring by the patient and medical team. Healthy lifestyles are the foundation of the treatment of this disease (Nissen, 2005). If these habits are not enough to lower blood sugar then the medication can be used. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs after age of 40 years, but now reaching to more and more children and adolescents, because obesity is affecting the younger people also.

Problem Statement

This paper is to analyze the Type 2 Disease prevailing in the Rio Grande Valley and to discuss the diagnosis and the treatments of this disease.

Types of Diabetes

There are 2 main forms of diabetes, the diabetes type 1 and type 2 diabetes, both are characterized by chronic hyperglycemia. Type 1 diabetes occurs in younger people and often appears in ...