Diabetes Mellitus Flashcards
(107 cards)
What is diabetes mellitus?
a chronic syndrome of hyperglycaemia with anomalies in carbohydrate, fat and protein metabiolism due to lack of insulin production, decreased cellular insulin sensitivity or both
Genetic susceptibility plays a key role in what kind of diabetes?
Type II diabetes
(to a lesser extent in type I diabetes) following twin studies
What serotypes increase an individuals susceptibility to diabetes 14 fold?
- HLA-DR3
- HLA-DR4
What countries have the highest incidence of diabetes?
Nordic countries
What countries have the lowest incidence of diabetes?
Asian countries
Verge postulated that early exposure to __________ could increase diabetic risk in infants
dairy milk
What viral infections have been associated with increased diabetes risk?
- congenital rubella
- 20% of new cases were positve with coxsackie antibodies
Insulin resistance is observed in ________ stages of pregnancy
later stage
What is the effect of physical activity type II diabetes?
diminishes risk by:
* increasing sensitivity to insulin
* glucose metabolism
The basis for the autoimmune theory of diabetes stems from …
inflammation within the islets of langerhans
autoimmune destruction of B cells.
What happens to B cells as diabetes (type I) progresses ?
- decrease in number
- decrease in their ability to regenerate
More than __% of type I diabetics have autoantibodies against B cells
90%
In type I diabetes there is often a normal count of other langerhans cells (a-cells, PP cells). True or false
True
Give examples of autoantibodies that can be implicated in type I diabetes
- islet cell antibody
- glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody
- zinc transporter 8
What autoantigen is postulated to be implicated in the selective descruction of B cells?
pro-insulin
Present in b-cells and not in other langerhans cells
Genetic susceptibility to diabetes comes from what groups of genes?
Human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genes
What HLA genes have a strong association with diabetes ?
HLA-DR3
HLA- DR4
What type of white cell is the most abundant in islet lesions?
T-lymphocytes
followed by macrophages, lymphocytes and plasma cells
What type of immunity is involved in the pathogenesis
- humoral immunity (plasma cells)
- cellular immunity (white cells)
What is the role of insulin?
acts on insulin sensitive tissue such as adipose and muscle to encourage glucose uptake
What is the response of B cells to insulin resistance?
to increase insulin manufacture to preserve normal glucose tolerance
The reduction of B cells seen in diabetes is due to …
elevated glucose, fatty acids and amyloid deposition which causes B cell apoptosis
B cell loss in type II diabetes is amplified by …
the fact that the pancreas is incapable of regenerating B cells beyond the 3rd decade
so afer 30 years b cell regeneration is difficult /impossible
What is the function of GLP-1?
glucagon like peptide- 1 (produced in the gut)
acts on b cells to enhance insulin production
acts on a cells to suppress glucagon production