Diabetes Type I and Type II

Introduction

Diabetes is classified into two major types which are type I and type II. The two types

are long-lasting diseases which affect the way the victim’s body controls blood sugar. Blood

sugar, or the glucose, is what feeds the cell in the body of an individual, but it needs insulin, a

hormone made by the pancreas, to enter your cells (Selvin & Ali, 2017). Those patients

with diabetes type I do not produce insulin that is needed in the body while those with type II

diabetes do not respond to this insulin as they should, and later as the disease they do not

make enough insulin. Both of these types of diabetes can lead to chronically high levels of

blood sugar thus increasing the risk of diabetic complications. The type II diabetes is

relatively more common among the patients that type I. Based on the 2017 National Diabetes

Statistics Report, about 30.3 million individuals in the US live with diabetes disease which

makes about 10% of the whole population. In all those diabetic individuals, 90 - 95% of

them have type II diabetes disease (CDC, 2014). In many instances, susceptibility to diabetes

increases proportionately with the age of an individual which is shown by having a larger part

of the diabetic population having the age of 65 and older while only about 0.18% of

individuals under the age of 18 had diabetes in 2015 (Selvin & Ali, 2017).

History of the Disease

The symptoms of diabetes were first mentioned in 1552 B.C., after an Egyptian physician,

Hesy-Ra, recognized frequent urination as a sign of an enigmatic disease which caused

emaciation. At this period, ancient medicine-men noted that ants were seemingly attracted to

the urine of people who had this disease. At around 150 AD, Arateus, the Greek physician

defined is now called diabetes as "the melting down of flesh and limbs into urine." Thence,

the medicine-men started to have an informed understanding on this disease (Wu, 2017).
Later, there were people who identified diabetes by having a taste of the urine from people

who were suspected to have it. Sweet-tasting urine meant that the individual was diagnosed

with diabetes. As a way of recognizing this characteristics, the word "mellitus” was coined in

1675 which means sweet/honey. Later on, in the 1800s scientists developed scientific tests to

detect the presence of sugar in an individual’s urine (McCoy, 2009).

Signs and Symptoms

The two types of diabetes share many similar symptoms when they are not controlled.

Even though many symptoms of the type I and type II diabetes are alike, they appear in very

dissimilar manner. The victims with type II diabetes fail to show symptoms for a significant

period of time after which the symptoms appear slowly by slowly over time. Some of the

patients with type II diabetes reveal no symptoms at all and never even realize their condition

until diabetic complications emerge (CDC, 2014). The symptoms of diabetes disease include:

 Thirstiness and the urge to drink a lot of water

 Fatigue, weakness and loss of interest in doing activities

 Blurred vision

 Cuts or sores that heal slowly

 Frequent urination

 Feeling very hungry

 Weight loss

 Recurring gum or skin infections

Type I diabetes was earlier known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or juvenile-onset

diabetes. Even though disease inception is possible at any age, the common age for diagnosis

diabetes is in the mid-teens. The type I diabetes appears after beta cells, those which produce

the hormone called insulin in the pancreas are damaged. The destruction is started or

facilitated by the victim’s body immune system and hampers and eliminates further secretion

and making of this hormone, insulin, which is needed to lower the levels of blood sugar.

Those victims with type I diabetes need to have insulin through injection and other ways.

Type I diabetes is more common in adults and it accounts for about 5% of all diagnosed cases

of diabetes (CDC, 2014). Type I diabetes has no surely known way of treating it as a number

of scientific studies for prevention are in progress while more studies are being formulated.

The type II diabetes was in the past known as non–insulin dependent mellitus and adult-onset

diabetes due to the peak age of it onset which is mostly later than type I diabetes. The type II

diabetes represents about 90-95% of the individual’s diagnosed cases and typically start by

resisting insulin in the body of an individual, a condition where the cells, especially those

within the muscles fat tissue and the liver fail to use insulin in a proper way (CDC, 2014).

This condition triggers a need for insulin and the beta cells in the pancreas start to lose the

ability to give out adequate amount of the insulin (Renders et al., 2001). Insulin resistance in

the body of an individual is not the same among individuals unlike beta cell failure, where

some have the resistance of insulin and a minority defect in insulin production and secretion,

and others with slight insulin resistance and primarily a lack of insulin secretion (CDC,

2014). Developing type II diabetes is synonymous with older age, family history of diabetes,

obesity, weakened glucose metabolism, being physically inactive, and the race/ethnicity of an

individual. Hispanics/Latinos, African Americans, Indians, a considerable portion of Asians,

and Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders appear to be at more susceptible to the
complications of the type II diabetes. This type of diabetes is becoming a little more common

with the children from some races, for example, African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos,

Asians, and Pacific Islanders and the American Indians (CDC, 2014).

Nursing Interventions

Assess readiness to learn and individual learning needs

The interventions prioritized by the nursing sector are those that seek to nip the disease at its

bud and hamper its onset. The intervention number one is having to set the minds ready to

learn and analysing the individual’s learning needs. Here, the nursing professionals identify

and analyse an individual’s readiness to learn and also what would inhibit his/her need to

learn. The client’s emotional and physical abilities to learn should be assessed so as to be

clear on his/her willingness to learn about the disease while showing the client and support

persons the need to learn (CDC, 2014).

Establishing the priorities in learning

The relevant and positive information about the condition of an individual is given while

preventing information overload so as to encourage the learning efforts. The most urgent

needs of an individual are determined so that there could be adjustments where necessary.

Developing an individual’s objectives for learning

This involves creating objectives that clearly fit into the client’s terms so as to meet his

needs. Additionally, the intended outcomes should be identified just to emphasize the need to

do the learning based on the client’s needs.

Identifying the teaching methods to apply for the client

This involves determination of the client’s most preferred method of having information, for

example, auditory and visual, so as to personalize and facilitate the teaching plan and recall
of the information provided. The mutual goal setting should be set to further clarify the

anticipations of the learner.

Facilitating learning

The clinical professionals should use short and simple concepts and summarize as needed.

The use of technical jargons are to be avoided so as to improve the coherence and retention of

the information. The information should be divided into parts without jumping from one topic

to another unrelated one so as to simplify learning.

Promote wellness

This involves the provision of information on how to contact a healthcare provider so as to

give concerns and clarifications on post-discharge. Creating awareness on the people around

is also helpful to reinforce their information on the disease and its prevention.

Treatment of Diabetes

Insulin method is the backbone of treatment for patients with type I diabetes. Insulin also

becomes an important treatment for type II diabetes when the levels of blood sugar are

uncontrollable though diet, exercise, oral medications and weight loss. Insulin is to be

administered in a way that imitates the natural production and secretion of insulin by a

healthy pancreas (CDC, 2014). Nevertheless, the complexity of the natural insulin secretion

makes it very difficult to mimic. At this moment, blood glucose regulation can be realised

with careful concern about one’s diet, exercise, blood glucose checking, and a regular

injections of insulin. There are different formulations of insulin depending on the amount of

time they take to begin working and the duration of their action after injection. These insulin

of different kind allow for more tailored routines so as to work efficiently in controlling

blood sugar. Other ways include the use of herbs or dietary supplements, for example, garlic

and cinnamon (CDC, 2014).

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Renders, C. M., Valk, G. D., Griffin, S. J., Wagner, E. H., Eijk, J. & Assandelft, W. (2001).

Interventions to Improve the Management of Diabetes in Primary Care, Outpatient,

and Community Settings. American Diabetes Association.

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Selvin, E. & Ali, M. K. (2017). Declines in the Incidence of Diabetes in the U.S.—Real

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Wu, B. (2017). History of diabetes: Past treatments and new discoveries. Medical Today.

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