Research Proposal on "Diabetes Mellitus"

Research Proposal 4 pages (1238 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Diabetes Mellitus is one of the most important and common chronic diseases found in humans. The disease has foundational consequences for the body and the mind and seriously affects society in general in both direct and indirect ways. Millions of people have diabetes mellitus and many more are likely to develop it as the years go by, risk factors increase in prevalence and as more people manage the disease and successfully have children. Another reason why diabetes is important is because the majority of medical care that is provided for the disease is self administered and therefore at high risk of patient noncompliance.

Diabetes is one of the most common of the chronic medical disorders and is expected to present one of the twenty-first century's biggest medical challenges. The number of people with diabetes is escalating both in the UK and world wide and type 2 diabetes in particular is increasing at an alarming rate. & #8230;in diabetes, patients deliver over 95 per cent of their own care. (Clark, 2004, p. ix)

Diabetes like many other chronic diseases will increasingly demand the attention of the medical community and the community at large as the disease grows in prevalence and incidence, in many ways due almost entirely too so called lifestyle choices that high risk individuals make that increase the odds of occurrence (the most important being overeating and obesity). (Silink, Kida & Rosenbloom, 2003, p. 2)

Definition and Prevalence

Diabetes Mellitus is a profound medical disorder that involves the reduction of or absence of the ability of specialized cells in the pancreas (islets of Langerhans) to produce insulin. Insulin is the main hormone responsible for the body's cellular ability to utilize and break down glucose, the sugar that fuels nearly all cells of the body. Lack of effective or available insulin then disallows glucose, the end result of nearly all the foods we eat to be taken from the blood stream and used as cellular fuel. (Clark, 2004, p. ix) the limited cellular fuel use as well as the buildup of excess glucose in the blood stream both result in profound functional impairment and over a long-term can result in permanent physical degradation. In cases of profound absence of insulin even over the short-term, such as is the case when the pancreas simply stops producing insulin death can result, relatively rapidly.

The prevalence of Diabetes of three particular types type 1 (complete lack of insulin production) type 2 (lowered and ineffective use of insulin) and gestational diabetes (a form of type 2 diabetes that effects pregnant women) is significant and in fact the American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates that nearly 8% (23.6. million diagnosed and an est. 57 million undiagnosed) of the U.S. population has one of these three forms. (ADA Website, 2009, "Total Prevalence" http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-statistics/prevalence.jsp) the ADA also estimates that the annual financial cost of diabetes to be an estimated $174 billion. (ADA Website, 2009, "Diabetes Statistics" http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-statistics.jsp)

Signs and Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of diabetes vary between types, while type 1 diabetes often appears in early to late childhood, sometimes rather suddenly, creating dizziness, vision disturbances, abnormal thinking, sluggishness, irritability, seizures, general weakness, extreme hunger or lack of appetite, reduced growth or rapid weight loss or gain, and even exhibit as a ketoacidotic coma, when the byproducts of glucose breakdown called ketones build up in the body and create a deadly catatonic state. The rapid manner in which the glucose control is lost as the pancreas completely stops making insulin, is dangerous and can be deadly if untreated. While in type 2 diabetes the symptoms can occur on a more gradual basis as the pancreas slows down production of insulin and the cells become resistant to insulin… READ MORE

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