NURS 6521 Week 5 Discussion: Diabetes and Drug Treatments

Each year, 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes (American Diabetes Association, 2019). If left untreated, diabetic patients are at risk for several alterations, including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, neuropathy, and blindness. There are various methods for treating diabetes, many of which include some form of drug therapy. The type of diabetes, as well as the patient’s behavior factors, will impact treatment recommendations.

For this Discussion, you compare types of diabetes, including drug treatments for type 1, type 2, gestational, and juvenile diabetes.

Reference: American Diabetes Association. (2019). Statistics about diabetes. Retrieved from http://diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/

To Prepare

Review the Resources for this module and reflect on differences between types of diabetes, including type 1, type 2, gestational, and juvenile diabetes.
Select one type of diabetes to focus on for this Discussion.
Consider one type of drug used to treat the type of diabetes you selected, including proper preparation and administration of this drug. Then, reflect on dietary considerations related to treatment.
Think about the short-term and long-term impact of diabetes you selected on patients, including the effects of drug treatments. NURS 6521 week 4 Assignment.

By Day 3 of Week 5

Post a brief explanation of the differences between the types of diabetes, including type 1, type 2, gestational, and juvenile diabetes. Describe one type of drug used to treat the type of diabetes you selected, including proper preparation and administration of this drug. Be sure to include dietary considerations related to treatment. Then, explain the short-term and long-term impact of this type of diabetes on patients. including effects of drug treatments. Be specific and provide examples. NURS 6521 week 5 Discussion Assignment

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NURS 6521 Week 5 Discussion Sample Solution

Diabetes and Drug Treatments

Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by high levels of blood sugar caused by the failure of the body to make or use insulin properly. If not addressed, diabetes could result in serious complications or even death. According to the center for disease control and prevention approximately 34.2 million Americans have this condition.

There exist several types of diabetes including type 1, type 2, gestational, and juvenile diabetes (Jiang & Dutta, 2017). All these diabetes forms are attributed to high levels of blood sugar. However, there are significant aspects that differentiate them. Type 1 diabetes, which is caused by insufficient production of insulin by the pancreas is an autoimmune disorder where the

individuals born with this condition do not respond to blood glucose with insulin and have to be instead medicated with insulin. Type 1 diabetes is rare compared to type 2 diabetes and is generally caused by the inability of the body to produce or use insulin efficiently. This form of diabetes develops over time in response to unhealthy dietary habits. Basically, people develop type 2 diabetes after having prolonged exposure to overnutrition which overexposes the body to insulin-sensitizing substrate resulting in great insulin insensitivity. The other form is gestational diabetes which happens during pregnancy caused by blockage of hormones at the placenta which prevents insulin from reducing the blood glucose effectively resulting in hyperglycemia in the mother. However, after delivery, the condition resolves. Juvenile diabetes is the other form that happens in children and is caused by the failure of the child’s pancreas to produce insulin. Juvenile diabetes results in type 1 diabetes. NURS 6521 week 5 Discussion Assignment

For this discussion, the primary focus is on type 2 diabetes, which as earlier mentioned involves the body’s loss of ability to produce and use insulin. It is a progressive disease that worsens over time and needs high medication doses or multiple prescriptions to control elevated blood sugars (Masuo,2015). Metformin, a type of biguanide, is the most common drug used to treat type 2 diabetes. The drug works by decreasing the level of sugar production in the liver and increasing the sensitivity of the insulin in the muscle cells. Metformin drug is administered orally (by mouth) and is taken with meals to minimize the bowel side effects. The starting dose for this particular drug is usually 500 mg or 850 mg once or twice a day respectively (Van Name, 2019). Dietary considerations are also a critical aspect while under diabetes treatment. Type 2 diabetic patients should restrict their diet to healthy eating. Meaning that they need to avoid the consumption of processed sugars, saturated and trans-fatty acids, high glucose intake, and a large number of calories. A healthy diet also helps in weight loss which is often a critical aspect in the treatment plan for type 2 diabetes. NURS 6521 week 5 Discussion Assignment

Type 2 diabetes has both short-term and long-term impacts on patients including the drug treatment effects. Some of the common short-term effects include headaches, anxiety, confusion, and numbness in the lips, fingers, and toes. Long-term impacts are even more devastating. They include microvascular complications that cause eye blood vessel damage resulting in cataracts. The microvascular complication can also affect the kidneys resulting in kidney failure. Lastly is cardiovascular disease which is a leading morbidity and mortality cause in this type of diabetes (Jiang & Dutta, 2017). Some of the effects associated with type 2 diabetes drugs, particularly metformin are diarrhea, physical weakness, muscle pain, and flatulence. Early diagnosis and lifestyle adjustments along with pharmacological interventions are critical in addressing this condition. NURS 6521 week 5 Discussion Assignment.

References

Jiang, J., & Dutta, S. (2017). Types of diabetes. RCSB Protein Data Bank. https://doi.org/10.2210/rcsb_pdb/gh/dm/about/types-of-diabetes

Masuo, K. (2015). Statins in type 2 diabetes. Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. https://doi.org/10.5772/59862

Van Name, M. A. (2019). Medications for the treatment of type II diabetes. Pediatric Type II Diabetes, 101-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-55138-0.00012-7 . NURS 6521 week 5 Discussion Assignment

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