Management of Type 2 Diabetes to Preventing the Complications Tied with the Disease - Case Study Example

Type 2 diabetes Name Institution Date Case Study: Type 2 Diabetes Introduction The type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that is usually characterized with high blood glucose and insulin resistance. Irene who is a sixty nine year old patient has been diagnosed with the condition and she has to take measures in order to deal with the condition. It is also important to note that the disorder is usually common among the individuals above the age of fifty. However, the causes of the disease vary with genetics being a factor (Inzucchi, et al, 2012). This is the case of Irene as both her father and mother suffered from the disease. Type 2 diabetes is also a chronic disease and it has the potential of lowering the lifestyle by about ten years. This is due to the high number of complications that is associated with it. The situation for Irene is also complicated by the fact that she is continuously gaining weight. The weight issue may have a negative impact when dealing with the disease. On the other hand, the dietary intake by Irene is also a factor that may make it difficult to manage the condition. In the management of the condition, various measures have to be put in place and it also includes exercising, controlling the diet as well as maintaining the blood glucose level. Irene also requires more information regarding the management of the condition as she lacks adequate information regarding the management of the disease. The paper discusses the appropriate current and future management practices and the educational requirement that will be useful to her. Management Goals According to Zinman, (2009), the main aim of managing condition is to ensure that the blood sugar levels are brought to normal or near normal. This is because the blood sugar levels are usually abnormal for the people suffering from type 2 diabetes. This usually occurs from time to time and it is also responsible for the complications that are associated with type 2 diabetes. Change in lifestyle is also considered as the most important aspect in the management of the disease. The management process therefore ensures that the complications that are brought about are reduced. This is also considering that the complications are the main cause of fatalities among the people suffering from diabetes type 2. It is also important to note that the normal fasting blood sugar level is usually less than 100mg/dl. During the management process, it is therefore important to ensure that the blood sugar level is within this acceptable range. The testing of blood glucose level is also an important process during the management of the type 2 diabetes. The A1c blood test is usually used for the purposes of testing the blood sugar level (Wing, 2010). Irene should thus be made aware of the management goals and the important role that it plays in terms of saving her life. The A1c testing should be carried out at least every three to six months. This will ensure that the management goals are measured and hence determining the action to be put in place depending with the results of the test. Other tests may also be carried out on a yearly basis. Educational Requirements The first step for Irene will involve education about here condition. This is because she does not understand the condition facing her despite her parents having suffered from the disease. She therefore requires education concerning the effects that the disease may have on her. Once she has been made to fully understand the disease, she should also be educated on the management process. This is because she may be required to carry out some of the practices on her own. Self monitoring of the blood glucose level is one of the practices that she has to carry out and hence the need for education. The self monitoring process is important in terms of managing the condition. On the other hand, she also requires some education on the importance of observing her diet. The aims and objectives of managing the process should also be clearly communicated to Irene. This will make her levels of understanding the condition much better. The importance of taking medication should also be communicated to Irene before she starts the actual management process. This is also considering that she may forget to perform some of the activities due to her advanced age. It is also important to note that she should be educated so that she does not take some of the management requirements for granted. This is considering that she does not seem to understand the importance of performing some of the practices for the purposes of her own benefits. Educating the patients with type 2 diabetes is thus an important aspect that determines the success of the disease management process (Cushman, 2010). Current and Future Management Practices Diet modification is one of the current and future practices that should be embraced by Irene. This is because her intake of pasta, red wine and fruits are high. The levels of sugar in her diet are high and thus require some modification. The blood glucose levels can also be controlled by the modification of the diet. The diet taken by Irene is also responsible for her weight increase. This has a negative impact on the management of the condition. However the modification of diet will also play an important role in terms of controlling the weight increase and hence the better management of the condition (Ginsberg, 2010). The production of insulin by the body is impacted by weight. Weight increase hinders the production and efficient use of insulin in the body and hence affecting the patients suffering from type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, reducing weight promotes better production of insulin and hence enabling better use of the insulin in the body. Irene should thus ensure that she changes her diet and follow all the required instructions from the doctor for the purposes of ensuring that she better manages the disease. The consumption of pasta should be reduced due to its high levels of sugar. She also has to reduce the consumption of red wine which also has some high levels of sugar. This will play an important role during the management of the disease. In order for Irene to effectively manage the type 2 diabetes she has to ensure that the caloric intake is consumed for the purposes of dealing with the weight loss. It is however important to note that the caloric intake should only take place after the weight loss as it is useful in terms of maintaining the current weight. Twenty five to thirty five percent of the calories should come from fats. In terms of cholesterol, it is important to ensure that it should be less than 200mg per day. This will also play an important role in terms of ensuring that the some of the complications related to type 2 diabetes are avoided. The intake of proteins is also important in the diet for the patients with type 2 diabetes (Potter, et al, 2009). Irene should therefore ensure that she takes fifteen to twenty percent of proteins per day as part of the caloric intake. A diet that has a high fiber content is also important in terms of controlling the blood glucose levels. It is thus important to ensure that she takes about twenty five to thirty grams of fiber content per day. The intake of sodium should also be reduced as it has a negative impact on the management of type 2 diabetes. The intake of vegetables should also be increased by Irene as it has a negative impact on the management of the disease. Moderate amount of artificial sweeteners can be consumed by Irene as it does not have effects on the blood glucose levels. However, the consumption of sugar alcohols should not be avoided (Malik, et al, 2010). Although Irene is of an advanced age, exercising is important for her in terms of managing the disease. This is because the regular exercise is important in terms of reducing weight which is also a problem that Irene is facing. On the other hand, it is also important to note that exercise alone cannot be used for the purposes of loosing weight and managing the disease. The process of carrying out regular exercise should be supplemented by the modification of the diet (Colberg, 2010). The blood circulation is also enhanced through the performance of regular exercises which is important for the people who are suffering from type 2 diabetes. It is important for Irene to exercise for about thirty minutes everyday. This the recommended time for an individual to carry out exercises per day. However, it is important to note the age of Irene is advanced an it may be difficult for her to carry out strenuous exercises. She should thus concentrate on light exercises as it is suitable for her age. On the other hand it is also important to note that Irene has tried in the past to loose weight through exercising and dietary change but has not been successful. Involving an expert may be useful to her at this point in order to achieve the desired results for the management of the disease. Heart diseases are also common among the people suffering from type 2 diabetes. This is responsible for the deaths of many people suffering from type 2 diabetes. On the other hand, the heart disease usually causes sudden death and hence the difficulties in managing it among the patients with type 2 diabetes. It is therefore important for Irene to put in places measures that will also eliminate the risk factors associated with the type 2 diabetes. Taking aspirin on a daily basis will be important for her in terms of reducing the risk of heart diseases (Hueb, 2009). It is also important that she has stopped smoking. This is because smoking increases the chances of heart diseases among the patients with type 2 diabetes. Poor management of type 2 diabetes is also responsible for other complications such as hypertension. Irene should therefore ensure that her blood pressure should be measured at every hospital visit. On the other hand, she should also ensure that the blood pressure should also be checked twice a year. The recommended blood pressure for patients with type 2 diabetes should be lower than 130/80 mm/Hg. This will be beneficial to the patient in terms of reducing hypertension. ACE inhibitors should be prescribed to Irene for the purposes of dealing with the problems of blood pressure control and hence avoiding hypertension. She should also avoid the consumption of alcohol and the use of drugs that have not been subscribed by the doctor. Lipid abnormalities are usually common among the people suffering from type 2 diabetes. This has the potential of complicating the health of the individual. In order to achieve the management goals for type 2 diabetes, it is important for Irene to go for screening at least once every year. This is also beneficial as screening for the lipids has the potential of determining the presence of cardiovascular diseases among the patients suffering from type 2 diabetes. It is also important to note that the cardiovascular diseases can result to sudden death of the patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases. The process of screening for lipid abnormalities is important for the patients with type 2 diabetes as it helps in determining the medication process as well as treatment. Patients with type 2 diabetes are also in the risk of becoming blind. This is due to retinopathy which is characterized with abnormality in the blood vessels at the back of the eyes (Nagai, 2010). Irene should therefore ensure that she goes for an eye examination on a yearly basis. This is for the purposes of determining whether or not she is at risk of determining retinopathy. The people suffering from type 2 diabetes are thus prone to a lot of complications which requires the management practices using various methods. However, it is also important to note that the problem of retinopathy can be corrected and thus the importance of visiting a doctor for the eye examination. The people suffering from type 2 diabetes also suffer from problems in the feet from time to time. The loss of feeling, coldness and pain on the foot is usually common and it is distressing to the patients. This also prevents the morbidity of the patient which also has a negative impact on their health. The management of type 2 diabetes mellitus should thus be focused on ensuring that the foot problems are avoided. Irene should thus examine her feet on a daily basis for the purposes of establishing any abnormalities. A visit to the healthcare provider should also be done incase pain or swelling is noted. Washing the feet on a daily basis with soap and lukewarm water is also a measure that can be used to prevent the complications that arises from type 2 diabetes. The feet should also be dried well after it has been washed in order to prevent the complications. Irene should also ensure that she keeps the feet smooth by applying lotion on a daily basis. Wearing of cotton soaks that fits loosely is also encouraged for the management of the condition and the socks should be changed on a daily basis. During the selection of the shoes to wear, Irene should ensure that the shoes are not tight but instead it should be loosely fitting. This will play an important role in terms of managing the condition effectively. The management measures are thus for the purposes of dealing with the complications that may occur on the feet due to type 2 diabetes (Buchwald, et al, 2009). Exercising mouth care is also an import ant aspect of managing type 2 diabetes. This is due to the complications that may arise and en up affecting the mouth. Irene should therefore ensure that she brushes her teeth on a regular basis three times a day. On the other hand, she should also ensure that she visits the dentists at least once in every six months for dental check ups. The type of brushes to be used when brushing the teeth should be made of soft nylon. This is because the use of other brushes may encourage the complications in the mouth. Incase Irene experiences any bleeding in the gums, she should seek medical advice immediately for the purposes of preventing the complications from arising and causing problems. Vaccinations are also important during the management of type 2 diabetes. Vaccinations against diseases like influenza, pneumonia, tetanus and diphtheria is important (Huang, et al, 2009). This is because the patients with type 2 diabetes are vulnerable to attack by the disease. Since Irene is above the age of sixty five, it is important for her to ensure that she has been vaccinated against tetanus and diphtheria. Incase she had been vaccinated earlier; it is still important t for her to renew the vaccination so as to fully manage the disease. However, it is also important for her to seek medical advice when it comes to the vaccination process. This is because of her advanced age and the requirements for vaccination. It is thus important to take up such measures so as to avoid the actual complications that are associated with type 2 diabetes. The use of medication is also important for the purposes of managing the type 2 diabetes and should also be used by Irene. Pharmacological treatment of type 2 diabetes is an important aspect of managing the disease as it cannot be treated completely. On the other hand, it is also important to note that type 2 diabetes usually worsen with age and hence Irene may beat risk of complications if pharmacological treatment is not done early. Metformin therapy is also important when managing the type 2 diabetes. This can be used by Irene as it is efficient in the management of the disease at its early stages (Saxena, 2010). However it is important to note that she should take this measure only after consulting with the doctor. This is for the purposes of avoiding any side effects that may lead to the complications and hence affecting her health. However, it is also important to note that the use of medication alone cannot manage the disease. The disease should be managed together with the use of other interventions so as to fully mange the disease. The metformin use is also important for Irene as it plays an important role in terms of controlling the blood glucose. The combination of different types of medication should however be done in consultation with the doctor so as to avoid other complication and side effects (Currie, et al, 2009). The use of anti-diabetic medication is usually considered as the first line of treatment for type 2 diabetes. The use of metformin is important for Irene in terms of managing the disease. However, if it does not provide the required outcome, she may change the medication with the advice of the doctor. However, it is important to note that the use of insulin injections can provide important results (Shulman, 2012). This can be used together with metformin for the purposes of managing the disease. Other oral medical can also be used alongside insulin. Irene should also ensure that she uses only the oral medication that has been prescribed by the doctor. It is also important to note that aspirin is useful for the people with type 2 diabetes and can be used by Irene depending on the recommendations by the doctor. Alpha glucosidase inhibitor is also an important medication that can be used during the management of type 2 diabetes. This can also be used by Irene on advice from the doctor if the other forms of medication do not provide the desirable outcome in terms of managing the condition. It is also important to note that the people with type 2 diabetes do not need to use insulin during the first stages. This is also applicable to the situation of Irene and she should only start using insulin after the recommendations from the doctor. The lifestyle changes together with the use of medication can be effective in terms of managing the type 2 diabetes. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the management of type 2 diabetes is aimed at preventing the complications that are associated with the disease. Various intervention measures are also required for the purposes of managing the disease. The education of the patient is for the purposes of ensuring that they fully aware of the condition and the measures that should be put in place to mange it. It is also evident that the patient in the case study required some education for her own benefits. The change in lifestyle is also an important aspect of managing the disease for the purposes of avoiding the complications. It is also evident that the modification of the diet can play an important role in terms of managing the disease. On the other hand the carrying out exercises also enables the patient to avoid the complications that is associated with the disease. The management of the condition is mainly for the purposes of preventing the complications which could be fatal. Heart complications can arise due to the disease and it is usually fatal. On the other hand, the management of the disease can also prevent complications which may affect other parts of the body like the feet and the eyes which results to blindness. It is also evident that the use of medication is an important aspect of dealing with the disease. This should however be done based ion the instructions of the doctor to avoid further complications. The management of the disease also requires the combination of measures as only one measure can achieve the desired results in terms of managing the condition. References Zinman, B. (2009). Medical management of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes: a consensus algorithm for the initiation and adjustment of therapy a consensus statement of the American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. Diabetes care, 32(1), 193-203. Cushman, W. (2010). Effects of intensive blood-pressure control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. The New England journal of medicine, 362(17), 1575. Ginsberg, H. (2010). 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