Diabetes Mellitus High Levels Of Blood Glucose - 2287 Words

Mika Haekyung Cho CY Diabetes Mellitus Instructor Amanda Salzedo 9/11/14 People who suffer from diabetes have high levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia) caused by the way the body produces insulin, the way insulin works in the body, or both. After food ingested it is broken down into protein, fats and carbohydrates or glucose. Glucose is used to fuel the cells of the body but the body needs insulin to enable the cells of the body to use glucose as energy. People with diabetes mellitus do not produce enough insulin for the body or the insulin that is produced is ineffective in its role. While diabetes was classified by the requirement of insulin therapy in the past it is now classified by the†¦show more content†¦The National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014, from the CDC, shows that it affects men and women at about the same rate and the prevalence of this disease increases with age (CDC 2014). Type I or insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is caused by the autoimmune destruction of the insulin producing ÃŽ ² cells in the pancreas. Without insulin, the body does not metabolize glucose and this causes hyperglycemia. Type I can occur and develop quickly. Typically, type I diabetes affects people younger than 30 and is sometimes called juvenile-onset diabetes, but it can happen at any age. Type I can occurs when the body’s immune system is triggered to attack the ÃŽ ² cells in the islets of the Langerhans of the pancreas. The ÃŽ ² cells are destroyed or damaged to the point that they cannot create insulin. There is an ongoing search for the triggering factors of this process; so far it is believed that genetics and viral infections are a cause (Van Belle 2011). In type II diabetes, or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), the pancreas does not produce enough insulin; the body becomes resistant to normal or high levels of insulin, or both (McCulloch 2013). Type II accounts for approximately 90% of all diabetes cases. Type II diabetes most often occurs in adults, but because of high obesity rates, teens and young adults are now being diagnosed with it. With type II diabetes, fat, liver, and muscle cells do not respond to insulin. This is called insulin