We are writing General Biology 2, a required subject for STEM under K+12 curriculum. Our estimate is this will be four chapters long at least. We are done with Chapter 1 which is devoted to organ system biology.
We wish to share with you some paragraphs we devoted to diabetes. We discussed this disease in relation to the feedback mechanism in our body which is not working as it should.
Diabetes a case of malfunctioning feedback mechanism
These days it is not uncommon to discover a friend, relative, or an acquaintance suffering from complications from diabetes. Diabetes is nearing epidemic proportions, and it is only appropriate that we speak briefly about this disease. Just exactly what is diabetes mellitus or simply diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which our blood carries way too much glucose (sugar). This happens because either our pancreas does not secrete insulin or our cells have become unresponsive to insulin. The first case is what we define as type 1 diabetes, the latter type 2 diabetes.
When a spike in glucose level occurs in the blood, our pancreas secretes insulin, a hormone that stimulates liver, muscles, and fat cells to take in glucose. Glucose is stored in our liver as glycogen, and muscles take in glucose as fuel source for cellular metabolism. But when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin or has become completely unable to do so, glucose builds up in the blood. Normal glucose levels of a person after a night of fasting is 3.8 to 5.5 mmol/L (70 to 100 mg/dL). For people who are hyperglycemic, it can go above 120 mg/dL. With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas functions normally, but cells of the body no longer respond to insulin as they should. This unresponsiveness is called insulin resistance.
The question now is what happens when there is too much glucose circulating in the blood? High glucose level in the blood contributes to elevated blood pressure, and since blood flows through our veins and arteries and go to many places in our body, it can damage many internal organs. Thus, the complications that arise from diabetes are often connected with organs where much blood passes through, that would be the kidneys and heart. In addition, high blood pressure can severely impact the brain, and the result is the rupturing of blood vessels in the brain. The blood clotting that happens after blood vessels are broken is almost always certain to lead to stroke.
We wish to share with you some paragraphs we devoted to diabetes. We discussed this disease in relation to the feedback mechanism in our body which is not working as it should.
Diabetes a case of malfunctioning feedback mechanism
These days it is not uncommon to discover a friend, relative, or an acquaintance suffering from complications from diabetes. Diabetes is nearing epidemic proportions, and it is only appropriate that we speak briefly about this disease. Just exactly what is diabetes mellitus or simply diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease in which our blood carries way too much glucose (sugar). This happens because either our pancreas does not secrete insulin or our cells have become unresponsive to insulin. The first case is what we define as type 1 diabetes, the latter type 2 diabetes.
When a spike in glucose level occurs in the blood, our pancreas secretes insulin, a hormone that stimulates liver, muscles, and fat cells to take in glucose. Glucose is stored in our liver as glycogen, and muscles take in glucose as fuel source for cellular metabolism. But when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin or has become completely unable to do so, glucose builds up in the blood. Normal glucose levels of a person after a night of fasting is 3.8 to 5.5 mmol/L (70 to 100 mg/dL). For people who are hyperglycemic, it can go above 120 mg/dL. With type 2 diabetes, the pancreas functions normally, but cells of the body no longer respond to insulin as they should. This unresponsiveness is called insulin resistance.
The question now is what happens when there is too much glucose circulating in the blood? High glucose level in the blood contributes to elevated blood pressure, and since blood flows through our veins and arteries and go to many places in our body, it can damage many internal organs. Thus, the complications that arise from diabetes are often connected with organs where much blood passes through, that would be the kidneys and heart. In addition, high blood pressure can severely impact the brain, and the result is the rupturing of blood vessels in the brain. The blood clotting that happens after blood vessels are broken is almost always certain to lead to stroke.