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Flashcards in Diabetes treatment Deck (12)
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1
Q

How is type 1 diabetes treated?

A

insulin injections

2
Q

how do people with type 1 diabetes know when to inject insulin?

A
  • test their blood glucose level, normally by pricking their finger
  • machine analyses blood which tells the person their blood glucose concentration
  • from this, the person can work out the dose of insulin they need to inject
3
Q

What happens if the person is injected with too much insulin?

A
  • they may experience hypoglycaemia ( low blood glucose conc.)
  • can results in unconsciousness
  • if too little is injected hyperglycaemia can occurs which can also lead to unconsciousness and death
4
Q

What is the first line of control in type 2 diabetes?

A
  • regulate the person’s carbohydrate intake through their diet and matching this to their exercise level
  • often involves increases exercise
  • overweigh people are encouraged to lose weight
5
Q

What is the second line of treatment in type 2 diabetes?

A
  • drugs are used
  • include drugs that stimulate insulin production and drugs that slow down the rate at which the body absorbs glucose from the intestine, and ultimately even insulin injection
6
Q

How was insulin orginally obtained? Why is this method no longer used?

A
  • obtained from the pancreas of cows and pigs that had been slaughtered for food
  • process was difficult and expensive
  • cause allergic reactions as it slightly differed
  • some people are ethically and religiously opposed to this
7
Q

How is insulin currently made?

A
  • structure of insulin was identified and is now made by genetically modified bacteria
8
Q

What are the advantages of this new method?

A
  • human insulin is produced in a pure form - less likely to cause allergic reactions
  • insulin can be produced in much higher quantities
  • production costs are lower
  • people’s concerns over using animal products in humans are overcome
9
Q

Why is a pancreas transplant not commonly done?

A

removes diabetes symptoms

but

  • the demand for transplantable pancreases far outweighs their availability
  • the risk of having a transplant can be greater health risk than diabetes itself
    • immunospressents drugs are required to ensure the body accepts the transplanted pancreas, which can leave a person susceptible to infection
10
Q

Why do cell transplants not work?

A
  • injecting beta cells
  • fewer than 8% were successful
  • the immunosupressent drugs used to prevent rejection of these cells incereases the metabolic demand on the cells
  • this exhausts their capacity to produce insulin
11
Q

How can stem cells be used to cure diabetes?

A

scientist have been researchging the best type of stem cells and the signlas required to promote their differentioation into beta cells - either in the pateint or the lab

may have to be used from embryos

  • causes destruction of it
  • spare embryos from infertility treatments or terminated pregnancies could be used
  • or preserved umbilical stem cells
12
Q

How are stem cells more advantageous over current therapies?

A
  • donor availability would not be an issue - stem cells could produce an unlimited source of beta cells
  • reduced likelihood of rejecting problems as embryonic stem cells are generalyl not rejected by thee body (new evcidence contradicts this) - stem cells can also be made by somatic celll nuclear transfer
  • people no longer have to inject themselves with insulin

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