In today’s society, there are a number of chronic diseases and illnesses that affect the health and wellbeing of Australian’s each year. Diabetes Mellitus along with its complications create a significant impact on Australia’s health status as a whole (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010). Diabetes Mellitus has proven to be one of the contributing factors to other causes of morbidity and mortality, resulting in being named one of Australia’s National Health Priority Areas in 1996 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010). Diabetes Mellitus can be referred to as a chronic disease found in humans, identified by glucose intolerance (King et al. 2007). There are two main forms of the disease, …show more content…
Polyphagia in individuals who suffer from diabetes is caused by the lack of glucose in the body’s cells (Marieb & Hoehn 2007). Although there are large amounts of glucose available, it cannot be used, causing the body to make use of its fat and protein’s as a source of energy (Marieb & Hoehn 2007). When the body is lacking insulin, this causes a sugar build up in the body’s blood. Consequently the body’s cells feel as though they are starving, causing the patient to feel hungry (Marieb & Hoehn 2007). When the individual begins to eat more, their sugar levels continue to elevate, with the sugar still unable to enter the cells (Diabetes Wellbeing 2010). The cycle continues and individuals may begin to loose weight, as they are unable to gain weight (Diabetes Wellbeing 2010). Due to the fact that the body is unable to gain access to the sugar, it responds by burning fat and muscle tissue as a replacement (Diabetes Wellbeing 2010). Polydipsia can also lead to diabetes ketoacidosis (Marieb & Hoehn 2007).
When an individual has elevated blood sugar levels, fluid may be taken from body tissues including the lenses of the eyes (Diabetes Australia 2011). Blurred vision may occur affecting an individual’s ability to clearly focus on objects (Diabetes Australia