Type 2 Diabetes and its Complications
Type 2 diabetes is a medical condition that occurs when the process of sugar metabolism is altered. The body’s main source of energy is sugar, and once the way the body metabolizes it is affected, almost all body processes are altered as well. Insulin is the body hormone that regulates the absorption of sugar into the body cells. With type 2 diabetes, the body starts to resist the effects of insulin or produces insufficient amounts to maintain the required sugar level (Chatterjee et al., 2239). This type of diabetes is the most common type. It causes the blood sugar level to rise to excess amounts because of the insufficient amount of insulin produced by the body.
Complications of Type 2 Diabetes
Some of the complications caused by type 2 diabetes include regular heart attacks, foot ulcers, possible vision problems and vessel diseases. Individuals with type 2 diabetes are at a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases since blood flows at an altered rate because of the abnormal sugar levels in the blood. The coronary artery is affected, causing uneven blood circulation. The patient is also at a higher risk of experiencing a stroke. Social problems include the inability to provide for the family because some people have to give up the nature of their jobs after they are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In advanced stages of the disease, patients experience regular heart attacks. This means they have to be under constant medical watch. This alters the normal life and schedule of the affected people. The cost of medical attention is another challenge, as the patient has to be in regular medication and a supplement of insulin (Chatterjee et al., 2241).
Demographic Information
Diabetes is a problem mostly experienced in adults over the age of 45. It is not only a local problem but also a global one because it is diagnosed in people throughout the world, regardless of the demographics. Type 2 diabetes makes up 85-90% of all the cases. About 415 million people all over the world are affected by diabetes. 193 of those are undiagnosed, and there is a 10.7% prevalence rate in the Middle East and North African region. The highest prevalence rate of the disease is 11.5% recorded in Caribbean and North America region. Locally, the prevalence rate is 9.4% for the US population alone (Grintsova et al., 43). Most of them are adults, and the figure includes the unaware cases. The condition has a higher prevalence in North America because it is a lifestyle disease. The people living in those regions lead a lifestyle that increases the risk factors. It includes consumption of high amounts of sugar or fats (Dabelea et al., 1778).
Analysis and Application
There are various systems of inequality affecting people living with diabetes type 2. One of them is the age. The highest number of people affected by type 2 diabetes are adults above 45 years. This is the age where most lifestyle diseases kick in, and the body activities are limited. This is the case for both local and global levels. Most people consume high levels of sugars and fats when they are still young (Chatterjee et al., 2250). Over time, the persistence of the body to these agents weakens, causing the production of insulin to fail. Also, at this age, the rate of metabolism is lower than it is at normal ages. Most symptoms of type 2 diabetes start to appear when the individual is 40. When the individual is younger, the body attempts to produce enough insulin for sugar metabolism. However, with increasing age, it fails.
Social Determinants of Health: Income
One of the important social determinants of health is the level of income. It shapes the living conditions of an individual and determines whether they lead a healthy lifestyle. An individual with a high amount of income is likely to have a quality diet, while an individual with low levels of income may take what is available regardless of the quality of diet. This makes individuals with low income have increased risk factors of developing type 2 diabetes.
Sick Role Behavior and its Impact
Type 2 diabetes affects rich regions more than others because of the varying sick role behavior. As mentioned earlier, 193 million of type 2 diabetes cases remain undiagnosed across the world. The condition can be managed by attempts to lead a healthier lifestyle. This includes intake of foods that boost the insulin levels in the body. Some individuals would immediately seek medical attention with the slightest signs and symptoms, and continue to follow the precautions against the disease (Grintsova et al., 43). On the other hand, there are those who would ignore the signs and make no attempts to lead healthy lifestyles. As a result, they are diagnosed with the disease when it is in very critical stages. It is the duty of those who consider themselves sick to seek a diagnosis and find immediate treatment for their sickness. This would be an easy way of managing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes (Dabelea, Dana, et al., 1780).
Prevention and Management Policy
Type 2 diabetes is a condition that can be prevented and be managed. The National public health services should fund programs that aim to create awareness of type 2 diabetes. This will ensure that the public receives education, ranging from the risk factors, preventive measures, and disease management techniques of the condition (Chatterjee et al., 2244). This way, people will lead a healthy lifestyle, avoid intake of excess sugar and fats, and go for regular check-ups regarding their health. This will significantly reduce the contraction levels, curbing the disease reasonably.
Works Cited
Chatterjee, Sudesna, Kamlesh Khunti, and Melanie J. Davies. "Type 2 diabetes." The Lancet vol. 389 no. 10085, 2017, pp. 2239-2251.
Dabelea, Dana, et al. "Prevalence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among children and adolescents from 2001 to 2009." Jama vol. 311 no. 17, 2014, pp. 1778-1786.
Grintsova, Olga, Werner Maier, and Andreas Mielck. "Inequalities in health care among patients with type 2 diabetes by individual socio-economic status (SES) and regional deprivation: a systematic literature review." International Journal for Equity in Health vol. 13 no. 1, 2014, pp. 43.
