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Diabetes 2.
Abstract .
Diabetes is a disease when the body no longer produces insulin properly. There are different types of diabetes. The three major types are Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational. This paper will focus on Type 2 diabetes, since this type is usually is not recognized until adulthood.
Diabetes 3.
Diabetes Among The Aging Adult.
Diabetes Mellitus also known as diabetes "dates back to 1500 B.C. nearly 3,500 years ago" (Beaser and Hill, 1995, p.9). Today type 2 diabetes affects millions of people. Currently there is no cure for diabetes. "However, recent advances in genetic engineering technology now offer great promise for overcoming the problems which have frustrated researchers in the past" (Alterman and Kullman, 2000, p. 263). People with diabetes could suffer serious complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis (diabetic coma), arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, diabetic neuropathy, and diabetic retinopathy to mention a few.
Cause.
For some people the cause could be the body does not respond to insulin. "Virtually all cells in the body contain special proteins called receptors that bind to insulin. They work like a lock and key. In order for glucose to enter the cell, insulin (the key) must first fit into the insulin receptor (the lock). But for some reason, in some people with type 2 diabetes, there is a faulty lock, or insulin receptor. The key doesn't open the lock, and glucose is shut out of the cell" (Zimmerman and Walker, 1999, p.24). Genetic could be another cause. People with diabetes in there family may be at higher risk than others.