Case Studies and Project Ideas: AIDA Diabetes Model


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Source:

Information on the case study and model from AIDA on-line (Dennis DeWolf, Chris Novotny, Dr. Eldon Lehmann, http://www.2aida.net), American Diabetes Association Website (http://www.diabetes.org), and Textbook of Medical Physiology (Guyton and Hall, 1996)

Terms to Know:

gestational diabetes
A form of diabetes that affects pregnant women late in their pregnancy.

glucose
The simple sugar that the body uses as it's energy source.

hyperglycemic
A state in which there is too much glucose in the blood.

hypoglycemic
A state in which there is not enough glucose in the blood.

insulin
A hormone that helps the bodies cells to take in glucose.

Type I diabetes
A form of diabetes in which the body is unable to produce insulin to break down glucose in the blood.

Type II diabetes
A form of diabetes in which the body is either underproducing insulin, or underproducting insulin receptors, and is therefore unable to break down glucose in the blood.

Background

Diabetes is a disease in which the body has too much glucose, a simple sugar, in the blood. The normal person has 80-90 mg glucose/dl of blood, which increases to 120-140 mg/dl after a meal, whereas the diabetic has glucose levels which can reach as high as 1200 mg/dl in extreme cases. The key element in glucose regulation is insulin, a hormone that is normally naturally produced by the pancreas. Beta-cells in the pancreas make insulin, then insulin helps the cells to take in the necessary glucose. In diabetics, either insulin is not produced, or insulin receptors are reduced. Diabetes is largely hereditary, some people have beta cells which are naturally susceptible to destruction by viruses or have immune systems which have developed antibodies against the beta cells. Obesity can cause diabetes by reducing the number of insulin receptors in the body decreasing the effectiveness of insulin.

When there is too much glucose in the blood, the cells of the body are not getting enough energy. Although symptoms vary depending on the type of diabetes and the patient, short-run symptoms include fatigue, extreme hunger and thirst, weight loss, headaches and loss of glucose in the urine. In extreme cases, high glucose levels can cause comas. In the long-run excess glucose in the blood can cause damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart.

There are three main types of diabetes, type I, type II, and gestational diabetes:

Treatment

There are several treatment options in diabetes, and usually a combination of methods are used. The main methods include insulin injections, diabetes pills, regulation of diet, and excercise. (note: in this case study the factors you can control are diet and insulin injections)





Conditions Associated with Diabetes