Advanced Pharmacology

This assignment is to respond to those 2 discussion posts posted below. Each answer should be a minimum of 150 words APA format. All replies must be constructive and use literature where possible by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to your peers with at least 2 sources each. Sources cannot be older than 5 years.

Question 1 (BE)
Advanced Pharmacology

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease. There are three types of diabetes, such as type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (Diabetes, 2018). Type 1 diabetes is a result of autoimmune reaction when the body stops producing insulin. Therefore, patients with this type of disease need to take insulin on the daily basis. Type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent. It is characterized with improper use of insulin by the body and the resulting increase of blood sugar level. On the whole, diabetes is considered to be the seventh cause of death in the United States. Diabetes has some complications. For example, it causes vision loss among adults, can lead to kidney failure, nervous system disorders, digestive disorders, or increase the risk of heart problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.

Type 2 diabetes is a lifetime managing illness branded with high levels of blood glucose in the body. Causes of the conditions are associated with problems of how the body produces or utilizes insulin in the body. Blood sugar movement in the cells is facilitated by insulin levels in the blood where it is stored and late consumed as energy. Victims of the disease are unable to effectively respond to insulin consumption as well as body organs like liver, fat deposits, and muscles cells fail to respond either, leading to a condition referred to as insulin resistance. As a result, there is blockage of blood sugar movement to cells where they are stored as energy. The later resulting effect is known as hypoglycemia which is the technical term for blood sugar. A body is said to have high blood sugar when insulin in the body cannot utilize insulin effectively.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes occur slowly because even sometimes patients with conditions show no symptoms at first or may take several years. However, early noticeable symptoms include skin infections, bladder, or kidney problems. A patient may experience increased thirst, hunger, and some fatigue. Additionally, symptoms like erectile dysfunction increased urination, and blurred vision may be experienced. The pancreas is responsible to produce enough insulin so as to stabilize blood sugar level in the body cells.

Glyburide help decrease blood sugar by causing the pancreas to produce insulin and helping the body to use insulin more efficiently. Glyburide is used along with diet and exercise, and sometimes with other medications, to treat type 2 diabetes (condition in which the body does not use insulin normally and, therefore, cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood). Glyburide is in a class of medications called sulfonylureas. Glyburide lowers blood sugar by causing the pancreas to produce insulin (a natural substance that is needed to break down sugar in the body) and helping the body use insulin efficiently. This medication will only help lower blood sugar in people whose bodies produce insulin naturally. Glyburide is not used to treat type 1 diabetes (condition in which the body does not produce insulin and, therefore, cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood) or diabetic ketoacidosis (a serious condition that may occur if high blood sugar is not treated).

The key teaching points for patients taking oral antidiabetic agents are to engage in diet modification and exercise, signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, avoid OTC drugs and herbal therapies without checking with the doctor first, and monitor blood glucose levels.

References

Polin, B. S. (2017). Reduce stress to help your diabetes. Retrieved from https://www.ontrackdiabetes.com/live-well/stress-management/reduce-stress-help-your-diabetes

Steineck, I., Cederholm, J., Eliasson, B., Rawshani, A., Eeg-Olofsson, K., & Svensson, A., … Gudbjörnsdóttir, S. (2015). Insulin pump therapy, multiple daily injections, and cardiovascular mortality in 18 168 people with type 1 diabetes: Observational study. BMJ, 350(jun22 1), h3234-h3234. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h3234

Weatherspoon, D. (2018, June 1). Diabetes: Facts, statistics, and you. Healthline. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/facts-statistics-infographic#1

Question 2 (RAK)
Diabetes mellitus is a worldwide concern due to the threatening statistics of its prevalence and detrimental effects on health. Diabetes refers to chronic and health complications linked to failure by the body to utilize insulin properly (MedlinePlus, 2018). Globally, the disease affects about 415 million people, making it a significant public health issue (Al-Lawati, 2017). Diabetes can be classified into either type 1 or type 2 and affects about 30.3 million Americans (Xu et al., 2018). Even though both types pose tremendous dangers to the health of the population, the medication to treat the conditions differ due to the difference in their nature.

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes have several differences centered on their causes. The former is mostly diagnosed in children and young adults (Xu et al., 2018). It occurs because of the failure of the body to produce insulin as the immune system attacks the pancreatic beta cells, which are responsible for insulin secretion. Unlike type 2 diabetes, it cannot be prevented and perceived to be genetically inherited. Only a few people are diagnosed with the condition. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes appears mostly in adult people with few cases in children. Although the body can produce insulin, it cannot use it effectively. Unlike type one diabetes, the disease is mainly caused by lifestyle factors, and the majority of the people diagnosed with the diabetes suffer from type 2 (Xu et al., 2018). Because of their notable differences, the diseases are managed differently.

Glyburide is an oral diabetes medicine used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. From the prompt, Ms. Jones was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which can be explained by the patient’s age and health condition as she was found to be obese. For better effect, the medication should be used along with diet and exercises (MedlinePlus, 2018). The drug is prescribed for people whose body fails to use insulin effectively, thus failing to control sugar level in blood. The medication corrects the condition as it stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin and use it normally, reducing blood sugar level (MedlinePlus, 2018). Therefore, Ms. Jones should not be worried about using the drug unless she is allergic to glyburide or taking other medications that can react with it. Nonetheless, glyburide is an effective drug used to treat type 2 diabetes.

To avoid shots, oral antidiabetic agents are known management approaches used in containing type 2 diabetes. The intervention is recommended for people identified with type 2 diabetes in addition to diet and exercising (Kapoor & Thomas, 2017). When prescribing agents, physicians should put into consideration patient and drug-specific attributes and apply required dosage and combination with other procedures to reduce blood sugar levels.

While diabetic mellitus continues to be a global public health concern, a wide range of interventions have been recommended to address the problem. The patient shall be aware of the following brief teaching points. Type 1 and type 2 diabetes are not identical conditions and require different responses. For instance, while the former is linked to failure by the body to produce insulin, the latter is associated with an inability to use insulin effectively. Nonetheless, diabetes is a manageable health condition and can be treated with a combination of medical prescription, both injections and oral, exercising, and dieting. When such lifestyle changes, such as nutrition or regular exercises, are not helpful enough, antidiabetic agents are prescribed.

References

Al-Lawati, J. A. (2017). Diabetes mellitus: A local and global public health emergency! Oman Medical Journal, 32(3), 177-179.

Kapoor, N., & Thomas, N. (2017). Oral antidiabetic agents: Recently available novel oral antidiabetic agents in India: A clinical review. Current Medical Issues, 15(3), 169-76.

MedlinePlus (2018, October 15). Glyburide. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a684058.html (Links to an external site.)

Xu, G., Liu, B., Sun, Y., Du, Y., Snetselaar, L. G., Hu, F. B., & Bao, W. (2018). Prevalence of diagnosed type 1 and type 2 diabetes among US adults in 2016 and 2017: Population Based Study. BMJ, 362.