Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetes Insipidus

Overview

The American Diabetes Association (2011) indicates approximately 25 million children and adults have diabetes, in America. Additionally, doctors make approximately 2 million diabetes diagnosis every year with approximately 79 million people viewed to have pre-diabetes. The figures present a significant rise in diabetes diagnosis. Diabetes is a serious condition that also causes risky alterations such as heart disease, stroke, blindness and kidney failure. It is fundamental for nurses to comprehend the pathophysiology of diabetes and the associated alterations so as to make proper diagnosis and intervention measures. The paper will address the two types of diabetes; diabetes mellitus and diabetes Insipidus.

Pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus and diabetes Insipidus

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Diabetes Insipidus (DI) are unrelated disorders that share several signs and symptoms. DM is a type of autoimmune disease, genetic or lifestyle diseases while DI is a disease that arises as a result of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) deficiency. While both diseases are incurable, DM patients manage their illness through insulin and lifestyle management. Patients with DM manage their illness through the use of desmopressin or thiazide diuretics (McPhee, & Hammer, 2012). Diabetes insipidus occurs when the kidneys show the inability to conserve water. The inability of conserve water results in frequent urination. There are two types of diabetes insipidus.

Central diabetes insipidus occurs when there is an ADH deficiency while nephrogenic DI occurs where the kidneys fail to respond to the ADH. Central DI and nephrogenic DI can be transferred from parent to child. Diabetes mellitus also relates to the hormone insulin. Diabetes mellitus also occurs because of a deficient in insulin production or resistance to insulin. Diabetes mellitus is similar to diabetes Insipidus because it also has genetic factors and thus can be transferred from parents to children. Additionally, diabetes mellitus can occur due to lifestyle factors such as lack of exercise, obesity and poor nutrition (Huether, & McCance, 2012). There are three main categories of diabetes; Type I diabetes mainly affects children and occurs because of insulin deficiency. The second type is Type II diabetes that is the most common. The third type is gestational diabetes that manifests itself during pregnancy when a woman is expectant.

Diabetes mellitus and diabetes affect men and women equally. However, gestational diabetes is exclusive to expectant women. When expectant, the body undergoes a diversity of changes in preparation for the child. For instance, drastic hormonal changes affect the body’s response to insulin. The treatment and management of gestational diabetes emphasize on managing sugar levels so as to minimize subsequent complications e.g. high blood pressure. In pregnant women, medication is the last resort due to the risk the medication may have on the pregnancy or the unborn child (McPhee, & Hammer, 2012). The management of gestational diabetes is through dietary change and exercise for proper weight management.

Age is also a factor of consideration in the management of either diabetes mellitus or diabetes insipidus. Children diagnosed with diabetes are mainly victims of genetics thus the treatment and management of the condition will focus on the management of their insulin and ADH. In contrast, individual diagnosed with the disease in their later lives are mainly victims of their lifestyle choices as well as kidney failure (Huether, & McCance, 2012). Adults can take medication to regulate the condition while children can be introduced to a lifestyle of exercise and diet that ascertain they manage the condition. Adults have a higher risk of acquiring diabetes-related complications such as cardiovascular diseases thus the need for stronger medication and regular monitoring to keep the alterations at bay.

References

Huether, S. E., &McCance, K. L. (2012). Understanding pathophysiology. St. Louis, MO: Mosby.

McPhee, S. J., & Hammer, G. D. (2012). Pathophysiology of disease: An introduction to clinical medicine. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Medical.

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