Diabetes Lifestyle Article (Essay Sample)

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Diabetes is an important healthcare priority issue in the modern world. Many people due to lifestyle changes are exposing themselves to this disease. Around 382 million people were estimated to have the disease throughout the world in the year 2013 (American Diabetes Association, 2015). Diabetes is a chronic condition that makes the patient exhibits high blood sugars. There are three types of diabetes that includes type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. Despite all this large number of diabetes prevalence, many people do not have the health education about the disease.
Diabetes commonly referred to as diabetes mellitus by doctors represent a group of metabolic diseases in which the patient exhibits high blood sugars as stated by Briskoe & Davis (2005). Type 1 diabetes is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, early-onset diabetes or juvenile diabetes (Briskoe & Davis, 2005). People develop type 1 diabetes in their teenage years or early adulthood. Type 1 is approximately 10% of all diabetic cases (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011).
In type 2 diabetes, there is production of inadequate insulin that affects proper functioning or the body cells are resistant to the produced insulin. Type 2 is the most common and about 90% of all diabetic cases are of this type (ADA, 2015). Developing type 2 diabetes is associated with a number of risk factors. These risk factors include genetic predisposition, overweight, obese, physically inactive, old age, men with low testosterone levels and those people who eat wrong foods (ADA, 2015). Gestational diabetes affects females who are pregnant. Gestational diabetes is diagnosed during pregnancy state.
The three common signs of diabetes are polyuria, polyphagia and polydipsia as stated by Briskoe & Davis (2005). The primary symptoms of diabetes include frequent urination, a lot of thirsts, intense hunger, weight gain, unusual weight loss, irritability, increased fatigue and blurred vision. Symptoms also include itchy skin, more skin or yeast infection, swollen gums, sexual dysfunction in men and numbness or tingling especially in the feet and hands (Briskoe & Davis, 2005).
Diabetes can be diagnosed by carrying out a urine test to find whether excess glucose is present. Urine test is backed up by blood test that determines the amount of glucose in the blood (ADA, 2015). Patients with type 1 are treated with regular insulin injections as well as special diet and exercise. Type 2 diabetic patients are usually treated with tablets, special diet and exercise (CDC, 2011). If diabetes is not controlled adequately, it can lead to complications. Some of these complications include retinopathy, nephropathy, heart problems, hypertension, mental health, neuropathy, erectile dysfunction, stroke and many others according to CDC (2011).
There are several rationales for choosing diabetes as a priority health issue. First is to create awareness that diabetes is a serious killer disease and it needs to be controlled in its early stages before complications set in. It's estimated that 25.8 million people in the US have diabetes (CDC, 2011). Diabetes was the leading cause of death listed in the US death certificates in 2007 (CDC, 2011). Another reason is to come up with measures that will prevent diabetes in high-risk people. The other rationale was to educate health care providers and the general public about optimal diabetes care and self-management. Nurses would benefit with this diabetes education and hence they will be able to provide quality health care to the patient with diabetes.
One of the nursing articles identified was nursing evaluation of diabetes self-management in tertiary healthcare settings in Croatia (Kolaric, Ajdukovic, & Racz, 2014). The other was influence of organized diabetic education on self-control and quality of life of patients with type 2 diabetes (Polanska et al., 2014). One of the interventions is to reverse the impaired nutrition caused by reduction in oral input, nausea, anorexia and increased metabolism of protein and fat. The specific interventions will include taking the weight of the patients daily, determine the diet and eating patterns of the patients and auscultation of the bowel sounds. You should also give food supplements, involve the family in planning for the appropriate diet, regular examination of blood sugar, maintain insulin treatment and collaborate with a dietitian. The patient outcome will be demonstrated by his ability to digest the amount of calories and nutrients appropriately and to maintain a stable weight (Kolaric, Ajdukovic, & Racz, 2014).
The other intervention will be to maintain a balanced fluid volume. Diabetic patients face deficient fluid volume due to osmotic diuresis, excessive gastric losses and due to restricted intake. The nurse should assess the patient history of vomiting and excessive urination. Should also monitor the vital signs, input and output chart and record the urine specific gravity, weigh the patient daily and maintain a fluid intake of at least 2500ml/day. The nurse should also avoid overheating the patient that lead to further loss of fluids and should also insert and maintain indwelling urinary catheter for ongoing measurement of urinary output (Polanska et al., 2014). The patient positive outcome should be demonstrated by adequate hydration evidenced by stable vital signs, good skin turgor and capillary refill and palpable peripheral pulses. The patient should also maintain an appropriate urinary output and electrolytes levels within normal ranges.
The other intervention will be to cater for anxiety displayed by the patient. The anxiety is related to long-term illness that is not curable and dependence on others. Anxiety is evidenced by apathy, anger, withdrawal, nonparticipation in care and depression. The nurse s...