Diseases Classification
Diseases that affect people in the world today can be classified broadly into two types. These are communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases. The former refers to illnesses that can be transferred from one person to the other. They are also known as infectious diseases, and they are caused by transmittable agents such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi. Examples include sicknesses like hepatitis B, malaria, typhoid, and rabies. The latter can be defined as conditions that do not result from an infectious agent or process. This means that they cannot be transferred from one individual to the other. Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are usually chronic since they have a prolonged course of development which doesn't resolve spontaneously and complete cure is seldom available. Examples of NCDs include diabetes, stroke, cancer heart diseases, and autoimmune diseases (Bloom et al. 7).
Importance of Non-Communicable Diseases
Of the two classes of diseases, NCDs pose the greatest healthcare threat. This conclusion can be drawn from two reasons. One is that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), NDCs are responsible for 71% of all deaths globally (Bloom et al. 23). This high mortality is quite significant and can therefore not be ignored. The reason for such high mortality is because of the progressive nature of the disease. The second reason is that the NDCs have non-modifiable risk factors. This means that risk factors of NCDs such as age, race, gender and family history cannot be changed or acted upon. The risk factors cannot be controlled by any intervention, and this makes NDCs a substantial threat to human health (Bloom et al. 13).
Impact of Advancement in Technology
In the year 1971, a researcher postulated that with time, chronic diseases would replace infectious diseases because of the expansion of public health and sanitation (Omran 731). What the researcher did not foresee was that with an advancement in technology, better transport systems would be discovered, and work would be made easier leading to physical inactivity and increased intake of processed foods all of which are risk factors for NCDs. So, the economic impacts of NCDs, as well as the people affected and deaths associated with this class of diseases, increased compared to the impact 50 years ago (Dzewaltowski 171).
Types and Causes of Diabetes
Diabetes is one of the examples of NCDs, and there are two types, Type 1 and Type 2 which is common. Type 1 diabetes is a disorder that occurs when the immune system of the body confuses the pancreatic cells that are responsible for insulin production with foreign bodies and attacks these cells. With the pancreatic cells destroyed, no insulin is produced leading to diabetes. Type 2 diabetes, the common type, is caused by a variety of factors including genes and lifestyle factors. Other factors that cause diabetes include being overweight and insulin resistance. Physical inactivity leads to being overweight and obese which results in insulin resistance which in turn causes diabetes (Omran 731).
Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes
There are several warning signs of diabetes, and these include increased thirst, frequent urination, and increased hunger especially after eating, dry mouth and unexplained weight loss. In men, signs of diabetes include decreased sex drive, erectile dysfunction and retrograde ejaculation all of which are caused by low testosterone. People with diabetes also have breath odors that are fruity or sweet. Another sign of diabetes is having a skin condition where there are dark, thickened patches on the skin, especially where there are creases. On the other hand, symptoms of diabetes are tingling and numbness or pain in the hands or feet. In type 2 diabetes, a feeling of extreme fatigue and cuts and bruises that take a long time to heal may also be experienced (Bloom et al. 39).
Diagnosis of Diabetes
Diabetes can be diagnosed in two ways. First is on the plasma glucose criteria and secondly by using glycated hemoglobin or Hba1c. Plasma glucose is measured as a fasting blood glucose level (BGL). This test is usually carried out after at least 8 hours after the last meal. Typically, healthy individuals have a fasting concentration of glucose in the plasma of 99 mg/dL and below. However, individuals with fasting plasma glucose concentrations that range from 100-125 mg/dL have a form of pre-diabetes which implies that they are likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Fasting plasma glucose levels above 126 mg/dL are usually diagnosed as diabetes. The Hba1c test is usually carried out when healthcare workers want to determine the blood glucose level of an individual over a period of three months. This test can be taken at any time. Glucose in plasma sticks onto hemoglobin creating glycated hemoglobin, and this is what is measured in the Hba1c test. For healthy persons, the Hba1c is usually below 6%. Individuals with Hba1c levels above 6.5% are considered to have diabetes (Mathers and Loncar 442).
Prevention and Management of Diabetes
Diabetes has been called a lifestyle disease which means that lifestyle choices play a significant role in causing the condition. Therefore, an adjustment of these lifestyle choices is instrumental in preventing onset, delaying the onset and proper management of the condition. Some of the strategies that can be used to avoid diabetes include engaging in more physical activity which lowers body weight, boosts sensitivity to insulin and reduces blood sugar, diet management of to include more fiber and whole grains (Gregg, Williams and Geiss 286).
Treatment Options for Diabetes
There are different treatment options for diabetic patients. The interventions are aimed at maintaining a steady blood glucose level. These include the strategies named for prevention and oral medications that are taken to lower the glucose levels. Patients are typically advised to take pills and change their lifestyles as well for best outcomes. When the two options fail, doctors usually end up prescribing insulin injections to diabetes patients. Treatment for type 1 diabetes is strict via insulin injections because such patients cannot produce insulin. Environmental factors play a more significant role in the prognosis of diabetes as compared to genetic factors. Risk factors are variable depending on the age of patients at the onset of the disease, glucose control, lipid control, blood glucose control, tobacco control, renal function and microvascular complication status. According to studies, when men and women are diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 40 years, they lose about 5.8 years and 6.8 years respectively (Gregg, Williams and Geiss 286).
Global Impact and Homeostasis in Diabetes
Epidemiological studies have revealed that the number of people from the year 1980 to 2014 rose from 108 million to 422 million globally (Mathers and Loncar 442). The study also reported the global prevalence of diabetes among adults of 18 years and above to have risen from 4.7% to 8.5% during the same period. By the year 2030, diabetes will be the leading cause of death globally according to WHO (Bloom et al. 43).
Homeostasis refers to the maintenance of a steady body condition. With diabetes, patients cannot maintain a constant plasma glucose concentration. There are mechanisms that keep blood glucose within a limited range in healthy individuals. When glucose levels decrease, the pancrease responds by reducing insulin secretion. When this level drops further, alpha cells produce a hormone called glucagon that signals the liver to produce glucose. Patients with diabetes lose these mechanisms because they cannot produce insulin and when they do, the body is insensitive to it (Gregg, Williams and Geiss 286).
Works Cited
Bloom, D.E. et al. The Global Economic Burden of Non-communicable Diseases. World Economic Forum Report. Geneva: World Economic Forum and the Harvard School of Public Health, 2016.
Dzewaltowski, David A. "Emerging technology, physical activity, and sedentary behavior." Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, vol. 36, no. 4, 2008, pp. 171-172.
Gregg, Edward W., Desmond E. Williams, and Linda Geiss. "Changes in diabetes-related complications in the United States." The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 371, no. 3, 2014, pp. 286.
Kontis, Vasilis, et al. "Contribution of six risk factors to achieving the 25× 25 non-communicable disease mortality reduction target: a modelling study." The Lancet, vol 384, no. 9941, 2014, pp. 427-437.
Mathers, Colin D., and Dejan Loncar. "Projections of global mortality and burden of disease from 2002 to 2030." PLoS Medicine, vol. 3, no. 11, 2006, pp. 442.
Omran, Abdel R. "The epidemiologic transition: a theory of the epidemiology of population change." The Milbank Quarterly, vol
83, no. 4, 2005, pp. 731-757.
