A Call to Action on Diabetes - Essay Example

November 5, Diabetes Diabetes describes a range of chronic illness that affects individuals in regard to predisposing factors in terms of lifestyle and risk. Diabetes insipidus is a rare condition that occurs when the kidneys lack the capacity to conserve water as they filter blood due to lack of the hormone vasopressin, which is produced in the hypothalamus and stored and released from the pituitary gland. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder, characterized by hyperglycemia with disturbances in carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, which results from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action or both, which translates to long term damage and dysfunction of various organs of the body (Nayak and Roberts).

Within the pancreas, the Islets of Langerhans are responsible for secretion of insulin, which acts to regulate of blood glucose levels. In persons with diabetes, normal insulin function is impaired where it can be produced in insufficient quantities or is produced defectively. This further classifies diabetes mellitus into Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 3-5% of all diabetes in the world and is more common in children and young adults but can occur at any age (International Diabetes Federation 6).

Type 1 diabetes presents as an autoimmune disease where insulin producing cells within the pancreas are destroyed, and the patients are always dependent on insulin injections for survival. The destruction of Islets of Langerhans within the pancreas impair the ability to produce insulin adequately thus affecting the process of glucose regulation negatively. Such destruction may be facilitated by the presence of external factors such as viral infections, which may alter the orientation of the host immune system.

On the hand, Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90% of all diabetes cases globally, occurring among the middle-aged and older people. In this condition, the body either does not make enough insulin or does not respond well as it ought to the insulin produced and can be controlled by keeping blood glucose levels within the range through diet and exercises. In this regard, Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance, which implies that the body cannot effectively utilize the insulin produced no matter its quantity.

As a result, glucose cannot be transported from the blood to the cells, which encourages excess blood glucose, which makes it difficult for the body to maintain normal glucose levels in the blood. Obesity, which is associated with insulin resistance, has been described as a leading risk factor towards progression of Type 2 diabetes. Most people affected by diabetes type 2 are overweight and often have high blood pressure as well as high cholesterol, and these contribute heavily in the progression of diabetes in most patients.

Type 2 diabetes is considered as a lifestyle disease where individuals may develop the disease on the basis of their feeding habits and tendencies. Poor diets in conjunction to lack of exercises largely contribute to obesity thus facilitating the development of diabetes. In addition, genetic factors in terms of family history play a crucial role in determining whether one is at risk of diabetes. In this regard, there exists a higher risk to diabetes in a family with a known history, as opposed to one without such history.

Ethnicity also plays a crucial role, which indicates that certain groups are more susceptible to diabetes than others. Progression of diabetes mellitus following underlying reasons is the commonest cause of kidney failure and lower limb amputations among most patients. Works Cited Nayak, Shivananda and Roberts, Lesley. Relationship between inflammatory markers, metabolic and anthropometric variables in the Caribbean type 2 diabetic patients with and without microvascular complications. Journal of Inflammation. 2006. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.

International Diabetes Federation. A call to action on Diabetes. 2010. Web. 5 Nov. 2012.