Diabetes Type 1 Research Paper
Diabetes type 1 is one of the severe and dangerous diseases, which is not curable so far. However, patients with diabetes type 1 can live quite a long life on the condition of the proper treatment and following recommendations of health care professionals along with the availability of all health care resources, which they required for the treatment of the disease. At the same time, patients with diabetes type 1 develop their health problem at the early age and face considerable problems with the right and early diagnosis and the effective treatment. In this regard, one of the major causes of problems of patients is the lack of the adequate understanding of the disease by the public. Often parents are unaware of risks and essence of diabetes type 1. They may believe that their children are not in a risk group and they may simply fail to notice early signs of the disease. Therefore, the effective treatment of diabetes type 1 is possible, if patients or their family members are capable to identify health problems early and refer to health care professionals, who can diagnose the disease and start the treatment.Diabetes Type 1 Research Paper
How society views diabetes type 1
Diabetes type 1 is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin, a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy (Lawrence, et al., 2008). However, often people misinterpret and associate diabetes with diabetes type 2 only. At any rate, the common public view on diabetes is the view based on the belief that diabetes occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or does not make enough insulin (Seidell, 2000). Furthermore, another misinterpretation or myth about diabetes type 1 is the strong belief that diabetes type 1 is determined by heredity mainly, while, in actuality, diabetes type 1 is more likely to be triggered by viruses.
One more misinterpretation of diabetes type 1 in the public involves the belief that diabetes type 1 occurs in adult or elderly patients mainly, while this type of diabetes manifests early and affects children and adolescents mainly, although it may affect adults as well. Also, it is worth mentioning the fact that people believe that diabetes type 1is incurable and patients with this disease are likely to die in a short run. Even though it is true that diabetes type 1 is incurable, but this disease may be managed. At any rate, now patients with diabetes type 1 live much longer than they used to be in the past.Diabetes Type 1 Research Paper
Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms of diabetes type 1 normally occur in children and reveal the development of the disease. Researchers distinguish the following symptoms of diabetes type 1: increased thirst; frequent urination; bedwetting in children who previously didn’t wet the bed during the night; extreme hunger; unintended weight loss; irritability and other mood changes; fatigue and weakness; blurred vision; in females, a vaginal yeast infection.
Compliance with treatment regimens
The treatment of diabetes type 1 involves the medication and the development of the target lifestyle of patients that prevent or minimizes the risk of complications and fast progress of the disease. The medication includes taking insulin and other drugs, if necessary and prescribed by the doctor. Such treatment allows patients to maintain the balance of sugar in blood and compensate the lack of insulin by injections.
At the same time, it is extremely important for patients with diabetes type 1 to monitor their health condition and identify any changes that occur to them and that may indicate to possible complications or deterioration of their condition. In this regard, patients with diabetes type 1 should pay a particular attention to carbohydrate counting and frequent blood sugar monitoring because the change of the level of carbohydrate or blood sugar may be extremely dangerous for their health (Eberhart, et al., 2004).
Furthermore, patients with diabetes type 1 should change their lifestyle consistently compared to their lifestyle before they caught the disease. First, they should change their diet because eating healthy foods is imperative for them (Rother, 2007). At any rate, it is only health foods that can provide patients with diabetes type 1 with all essential elements and nutrients and prevent misbalancing their condition. The right diet and proper nutrition can help to decrease the risk of complications, especially if there is a proper medication back-up.Diabetes Type 1 Research Paper
In addition, patients with diabetes type 1 should focus on exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight (Seidell, 2000). In such a way, patients with diabetes should maintain the healthy lifestyle and stay in a good physical shape. However, they should be aware of the danger of excessive physical activities, which may have a negative impact on their condition. The physical exhaustion and excessive physical activities are dangerous for them. This is why patients with diabetes type 1 should be very careful and they should balance their physical activities to maintain their good physical shape and avoid complications and fast progress of the disease.
The main goal of the treatment of diabetes type 1 is to keep patients’ blood sugar level as close to normal as possible to delay or prevent complications (Rother, 2007). Patients can meet this goal by the complex treatment described above. In such a way, patients should undergo medication, have special diet, exercise regularly and maintain healthy weight. Even though such treatment will not cure them from diabetes type 1, but it can decrease the risk of complication and contribute to the long life of patients, regardless of their health problem.
Impact on health care resources
The treatment of diabetes type 1 is challenging, costly and requires substantial health care resources. Insulin, as the main medication, which patients need constantly makes the treatment of diabetes type 1 quite expensive, but, what is more important, is the overall costs and resources required for the treatment of patients with diabetes type 1. In this regard, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that patients with this disease develop their health problem at the early age since diabetes type 1 affects children and adolescents mainly and patients suffer from their health problem throughout their life. In childhood, patients are more vulnerable to complications and negative impact of the disease on their physical development. They face problems in their physical development from their childhood that affects consistently the quality of their life and resources, which they need for the treatment of the disease. For example, the treatment may involve medication but the medication that fits adults may not fit children. In such a way, patients with diabetes type 1 often need special medication that is costly and more difficult to administer compared to adult patients. Finally, as diabetes type 1 is a lifelong disease, then patients need health care resources all the time throughout their life with the disease.Diabetes Type 1 Research Paper
Conclusion
Thus, diabetes type 1 is a serious condition, which the contemporary medicine cannot cure, but patients can receive the effective treatment to live quite a long life. In this regard, it is important that patients or their parents (since this type of diabetes occurs in children mainly) should be able to identify their health problems and refer to a doctor, who may conduct the treatment properly.
References:
Eberhart, M.S. et al. (November 19, 2004). “Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity Among Adults with Diagnosed Diabetes — United States, 1988–1994 and 1999–2002”. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 53 (45): 1066-1068.
Lawrence, J.M., et al. (May 2008). “Trends in the prevalence of preexisting diabetes and gestational diabetes mellitus among a racially/ethnically diverse population of pregnant women, 1999-2005”. Diabetes Care 31 (5): 899–904.
Rother, K.I. (2007). “Diabetes Treatment — Bridging the Divide”. New England Journal of Medicine, 356 (15): 1499-1501.
Seidell, J.C. (2000). “Obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes–a worldwide epidemic”. Br. J. Nutr. 83 Suppl 1: S5–8.Diabetes Type 1 Research Paper