Introduction
The case study analysis in this paper is on type II diabetes. Patients develop type II diabetes when they lack sufficient insulin to mediate the use of glucose for energy. The condition also affects patients whose cells fail to recognize insulin (Hayes et al., 2013). Therefore, levels of glucose in the blood are significantly high in patients with type 2 diabetes. When glucose accumulates in the blood rather than going into cells, patients experience two problems. First, cells are starved of energy. Second, prolonged hyperglycemia predisposed patients to an increased risk of aye heart, kidney, and eye disorders (Hex et al., 2012). If type II diabetes is left untreated, patients also risk having damaged nerves, stroke, diabetic retinopathy, and sexual dysfunction. Patients with type II diabetes present with a wide range of symptoms, including blurred vision, excessive urination, fatigue, increased thirst, skin conditions, sudden weight loss, and regular yeast infections (Hayes et al., 2013).
The specific risk factors related to type II diabetes include being overweight, family history of the condition, and being above the age of 40. Ethnic background is another notable determinant of type II diabetes. For example, people of African-Caribbean, Chinese, Black African, and South Asian ethnic backgrounds have a higher predisposition to type II diabetes than the general population (Hex et al., 2012). Individuals who have mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression, also have a relatively high risk of developing type II diabetes. According to Diabetes UK (2017), diabetes is one of the biggest health threats and fastest-growing public health concerns in the UK. Notably, the prevalence of diabetes in the UK has doubled since 1996. It is estimated that 3.6 million people in the UK have diabetes (Diabetes UK, 2017). It is the increasing concern of diabetes in the UK that motivated its choice for the case study analysis. The following paragraph presents the case study being analyzed in this paper. Specific personal data about the selected patient for the case analysis has been altered or concealed due to ethical obligations of privacy and confidentiality. The case will be analyzed in the context of the patient’s health journey, psychological and physical challenges, public health policy implications, and the effectiveness of integrated care in type II diabetes.
Mr. B is a 71-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with type II diabetes four years ago. His medical history indicates that he had hyperglycemia for one and a half years before he was diagnosed with type II diabetes. After the diagnosis, his doctor advised him to join a weight management program. However, Mr. B did not take any action to lose weight. The patient was referred to a diabetes specialty clinic by his family physician. Mr. B presents with suboptimal diabetes control, recent weight gain, and foot pain. He refuses to take blood glucose tests because he believes they cannot help him control his diabetes. Mr. B's family history indicates that his mother had II diabetes. Patient assessment records demonstrate that Mr. B has little knowledge of self-care management of diabetes type II. He also has signs of depression related to the fact that his wife's diet six months ago. He has lived alone since all of his children are married. Physical examination results indicate that Mr. B’s BMI is 32.6 kg/m2, while his weight is 178 lb. Lab results show that his fasting blood glucose is 178 mg/dl.
References
Diabetes UK. 2017. Facts and Figures.
Hayes, A.J., Leal, J., Gray, A.M., Holman, R.R. and Clarke, P.M., 2013. UKPDS outcomes model 2: A new version of a model to simulate lifetime health outcomes of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using data from the 30-year United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study: UKPDS 82. Diabetologia, 56(9), pp.1925-1933.
Hex, N., Bartlett, C., Wright, D., Taylor, M. and Varley, D., 2012. Estimating the current and future costs of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in the UK, including direct health costs and indirect societal and productivity costs. Diabetic Medicine, 29(7), pp.855-862.
