Health Information Patient Handout - Assignment Example

Diabetes Education Handout Introduction Diabetes is a disease that has widely impacted on the lives of many people world wide. The reason for choosing diabetes to be the health issue to educate the audience on is the great need for everyone to understand of the disease because every human being both young and old is susceptible to the disease and the impact it has on health impacts either directly or indirectly to everyone. There has also been the need to change the perception that diabetes is an old man’s disease.

This is why the audience chosen for this handout of diabetes education is the audience between the ages of ten to thirty five years. The frequency of the disease is towering and something needs to be done on it.DIABETES BASICSWhat is it?Diabetes is a disease that is results from the incapacity of the human body to create insulin (Type 1) or use insulin effectively to control glucose levels in the blood cells and take it to the body cells (Peacock, 2011).Glucose gives energy to the body cells and when it is not taken to the body cells, the body cells become deprived of energy.

When this happens, one develops a condition that is known as hyperglycemia which is a condition of high glucose levels in the blood. When the condition of hyperglycemia persists, it may lead to damage to the human heart, kidney failure, poor blood circulation as well as blindness (Peacock, 2011).Types of DiabetesThere are two types of diabetesPhysical SymptomsThe physical symptoms of diabetes include confusion, lack of coordination, drowsiness, pale complexion, sweating, headache, moodiness and dizziness.

Long Term Symptoms and ComplicationFour out of ten patients suffering from Hyperglycemia develop long term complications of diabetes. They include damage to large blood vessels causing high blood pressure, heart attack and in some cases stroke. It may also lead to damage of small blood vessel leading to blindness, importance and kidney failure. Therefore the effects of Diabetes are catastrophic.Diabetes Risk factorsEven though the single cause of diabetes is not clear, there are risk factors, both genetic and environmental that increases the likelihood of getting diabetes.

On genetic risk factors, studies have shown that heredity can contribute to getting diabetes. Someone with a family account of diabetes, insulin resistance and obesity is likelier to suffer from the diseases that the one who does not have such history.Environmental risks such as obesity, exposure to cow’s milk proteins at infancy and auto antibodies puts one at risk of getting diabetes. Age and lifestyle also puts one at risk. Those above 55 have been found to have more cases of diabetes because of the inability of their body to respond to insulin.

However this does not mean the young are not at risk. Several young people are obese and some lifestyles that are sedentary.Implication of Diabetes and PreventionApart from the symptoms and complications associated with diabetes, the disease has implications such as cost of treatment, change of diet and eating schedules, constant use of medication and other financial cot associated with it.The prevention of diabetes can be effectively done by changing the risk factors and promoting healthy eating and physical activity.

Early detection followed by effective management of the disease and rehabilitation can also help in fighting the disease.ConclusionDiabetes is a serious disease that has devastating effect both to the individual and indirectly to other people .Effort should therefore be made to prevent the rising case of the disease through the prevention methods aboveReferencesPeacock, J. (2011).Diabetes: Perspectives on the Disease and Illness. Minnesota: Capstone PressNational Coalition for Literacy (2009).

Health literacy fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.ncladvocacy.org/HealthLiteracyFactst2009/HealthLiteracyFactst2009.pdfPeacock, J. (2011).Diabetes: Perspectives on the Disease and Illness. Minnesota: Capstone PressU.S Department of Education (2006).The health literacy of America’s adults: Results from the 2003 national assessment of adults literacy. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006483.pdf