Type 1 Diabetes Case Studies Essay
Summative Assignment – Diabetes
Part 1: -
Diabetes is a disease in which the body’s cells have an inability to absorb glucose due to either the pancreas not being able to generate insulin or the cells not reacting to the reduced amount of insulin being produced, these are diagnosed as type 1 and type 2 respectively. Carol is the case study being used, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 7 and she is also 6 weeks pregnant.
As type one diabetes is an autoimmune disease the immune system is malfunctioning, so when the patient is exposed to a virus the bodies’ reaction can be more severe than that of an unaffected individual. There have been 18 regions of the genome found with HLA genes which code for immune response proteins, therefore linked to developing diabetes. Two of the regions of several genes have been labeled IDDM1 and IDDM18. (McCarthy, 2010) The beta cells in the Islets of Langerhans are attacked by the antibodies produced by the immune cells to destroy the virus, and it is here where the insulin producing cells are located. (Bardsley, 2004) The virus’s presence causes auto-reactive CD4+ T cells to be generated; these secrete cytokines that in turn stimulate the production of CD8+ T cells. It is these CD8+ T lymphocytes that are cytotoxic and cause the destruction of the patients cells located within the …show more content…
The metabolism of fats in the absence of glucose produces ketones that alter the blood pH, making it more acidic. This is a serious, acute condition (ketoacidosis) and if left untreated can cause death. Hyperglycaemia surfaces with increased gluconeogenesis, (the process in which glucose is produced preventing the body developing hypoglycaemia) and increased glycogenolysis. (the break down of glycogen which helps to regulate blood glucose levels) (Kitabchi et al
Part 1: -
Diabetes is a disease in which the body’s cells have an inability to absorb glucose due to either the pancreas not being able to generate insulin or the cells not reacting to the reduced amount of insulin being produced, these are diagnosed as type 1 and type 2 respectively. Carol is the case study being used, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 7 and she is also 6 weeks pregnant.
As type one diabetes is an autoimmune disease the immune system is malfunctioning, so when the patient is exposed to a virus the bodies’ reaction can be more severe than that of an unaffected individual. There have been 18 regions of the genome found with HLA genes which code for immune response proteins, therefore linked to developing diabetes. Two of the regions of several genes have been labeled IDDM1 and IDDM18. (McCarthy, 2010) The beta cells in the Islets of Langerhans are attacked by the antibodies produced by the immune cells to destroy the virus, and it is here where the insulin producing cells are located. (Bardsley, 2004) The virus’s presence causes auto-reactive CD4+ T cells to be generated; these secrete cytokines that in turn stimulate the production of CD8+ T cells. It is these CD8+ T lymphocytes that are cytotoxic and cause the destruction of the patients cells located within the …show more content…
The metabolism of fats in the absence of glucose produces ketones that alter the blood pH, making it more acidic. This is a serious, acute condition (ketoacidosis) and if left untreated can cause death. Hyperglycaemia surfaces with increased gluconeogenesis, (the process in which glucose is produced preventing the body developing hypoglycaemia) and increased glycogenolysis. (the break down of glycogen which helps to regulate blood glucose levels) (Kitabchi et al