DIABETES

Diabetes mellitus is refereed to as a heterogeneous syndrome. It is characterized by a lack of insulin secretion and/or an increased cellular resistance to insulin which results in hyperglycemia and metabolic disturbances. Diabetes symptoms include excessive thirst and hunger, frequent urination, blurred vision, weight loss, and recurrent infections; diabetes is often asymptomatic during early stages. Conditions associated with the disease include severe neurological, cardiovascular, ocular, and renal complications (American Diabetes Association, ADA, 1996).

There are different types of diabetes. Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) usually presents before 30 years of age with an abrupt onset of symptoms requiring immediate medical treatment; around 10 percent of all diabetes patients have this type. Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is found in adults 45 years or

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14.6 percent of the total U.S. health care expenditures ($85 billion); one in seven dollars was spent on diabetes (Rubin, Altman, & Mendelson, 1994). The most common cause of vision loss among working-age Americans is diabetic retinopathy leading to macular edema and retinal neovascularization. Costs of blindness per year for a working-age American are estimated to include the following: $7,024 for Social Security Disability Insurance and Social Security Insurance payments, $3,358 in tax losses and expenditures, and $3,914 in Medicare and Medicaid payments; the total federal annual expense of $14,296 is predicted for blind patients with diabetes for those less than 65 years of age (Javitt, Aiello, Chiang, Ferris, Canner, & Greenfield, 1994). Treatment & Care Diabetes, a chronic illness, requires continuing medical care and education. A treatment team which includes physicians, nurses, dietitians, and mental health professionals is needed. Hyperglycemia is the hallmark of diabetes; treatment is aimed at lowering blood glucose levels. To achieve near normal blood glucose levels, self-management and intensive treatment programs are necessary. Care involves self monitoring of blood glucose, meticulous meal planning, regula
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1580
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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