What is Type II diabetes? (Post 1)

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a problem with your body that causes blood glucose (sugar) levels to rise higher than normal. This is also called hyperglycemia. Type II diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. If you have type II diabetes, your body does not use insulin properly. This is called insulin resistance. At first, your pancreas makes extra insulin to make up for it. But, over time it isn't able to keep up and can't make enough insulin to keep your blood glucose at normal levels.

Type II Diabetes

Type II diabetes is a chronic disease in which people have problems regulating their blood sugar. People with diabetes have high blood sugar because their bodies:

• do not produce enough insulin
• are not responsive to insulin
• a combination of both

How Type II diabetes Affects Blood Sugar

When you eat food, the body digests the carbohydrates in into a type of sugar called glucose. Glucose is the main source of energy for cells. Cells rely on the hormone insulin to absorb and use glucose as a form of energy. The pancreas produces insulin; people usually develop type II diabetes because their cells have become resistant to insulin. Then, over time, their body may stop making sufficient insulin as well. These problems lead to blood sugar, or glucose, building up in the blood. Type II diabetes usually starts as insulin resistance. Cells stop responding properly to insulin and sugar is unable to get from the blood into the cells. Over time, the pancreas cannot make enough insulin to keep blood sugars in the normal range and the body becomes progressively less able to regulate blood sugar.

Many people with diabetes can manage their blood sugar with diet and exercise, especially if they lose weight (if they are overweight). If not, medications to help control blood sugar are available. Type II diabetes is often preventable; you can greatly reduce your risk of type II diabetes by keeping your weight in its ideal range and exercising regularly. Risk factors for type II diabetes include:

• obesity
• sedentary lifestyle
• older age
• family history of diabetes
• history of gestational diabetes
• race or ethnicity

So, what is the significance and relevance of this blog?

The significance and relevance of this blog is to inform the Hispanic community due to lack of knowledge of the disease, education, and resources. As a Hispanic nurse at a CNMC, I see this problem first hand; type II diabetes has become an epidemic within my community, specifically in Hispanic children. The potential impact of blogging on this issue among the Hispanic community; it would increase Hispanics knowledge on the disease, awareness of known disparities that affect their community, risk factors, long term effects and preventions.

Why do Hispanics have such a disparity for Type II Diabetes compared to the general 
population?

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Hispanics are almost twice as likely as Non-Hispanic Whites to be diagnosed with Diabetes. They have higher rates of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), caused by Diabetes, and they are 50% more likely to die from Diabetes as Non-Hispanic Whites. Hispanic adults are 1.7 times more likely than Non-Hispanic White adults to have been diagnosed with Diabetes. In 2008, Hispanics were 1.6 times as likely to start treatment for ESRD related to Diabetes, compared to Non-Hispanic White men. In 2010, Hispanics were 1.5 times as likely as Non-Hispanic Whites to die from Diabetes. Some disparities are genes, environment, culture, poor nutrition, physical activity, and increased genetic predisposition to type II diabetes, this affects many Hispanics including children and adolescents. It is evident that multiple medical, cultural, and socioeconomic factors influence the development of diabetes, its course, and possible consequences.

Long-Term Outlook for People with Type II Diabetes

Uncontrolled diabetes significantly increases your risk of long-term health problems blindness, kidney failure, and amputations among adults and even death. According to the CDC, the death rate for people with type II diabetes is twice as high as that of people the same age people without diabetes. In addition, diabetes increases your risk of conditions such as:

• heart disease
• stroke
• high blood pressure
• eye disease, including blindness
• kidney disease
• nervous system damage
• amputations
• dental problems

Fortunately, most of the complications of type II diabetes are preventable. Keeping your blood sugar under control can prevent serious complications. In addition, regular preventative care visits can help keep minor complications from becoming ones that are more serious. This requires a lifelong commitment to staying healthy, including:

• eating well
• maintaining a healthy weight
• exercising
• taking medications, as prescribed by your doctor

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Article Sources:

ADA. (2014). Diabetes basics: diabetes type 2. American Diabetes Association. Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-2/?loc=util-header_type2

ADA. (2014). Diabetes basics: diabetes statistics. American Diabetes Association. Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/?loc=DropDownDB-stats.

ADA. (2014). Food & fitness: create your plate. American Diabetes Association. Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/create-your-plate/.

NIH. (2011). Diabetes diet—Type 2. PubMed Health, A.D.A.M. Encyclopedia, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004671/.

NIH. (2011). Type 2 diabetes. PubMed Health, A.D.A.M. Encyclopedia, U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001356/.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2014, June 13). Office of Minority Health (OMH). Retrieved from http://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov