Effects of Diabetes on both the Cardiovascular Systems and the Renal System

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Effects of Diabetes on both the Cardiovascular Systems and the Renal System
Introduction
A total of twenty million people lives with diabetes worldwide as six million people are not aware that they have diabetes (Tukoski, 31). Diabetes Mellitus is the other name for diabetes that falls under the category of metabolic diseases. The disease is caused by high blood sugar levels being in the body for long because the pancreas does not generate enough insulin, or the body cells do not respond appropriately to insulin produced by the pancreas. The typical symptoms of diabetes frequently include urinating, being thirsty and hungry most of the time. Diabetes can become chronic if not properly treated resulting in several complications. Some of the serious long-term complications include cardiovascular disease and damaging the renal system (Tukoski, 31).The Pattern of the Disease
Body cells need to function properly; they need energy from carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. When carbohydrates enter the body, carbohydrates are converted into glucose in the liver. After the conversion, the glucose is released to circulate in the body. Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas; it interacts with specific cellular receptors to enable glucose enter in the body cells. Insulin is released slowly in response to increasing in the circulation of the glucose, meaning that the blood levels can rise after consuming carbohydrates as insulin acts as receptors by permitting transportation of glucose. Not all glucose will be absorbed by the body immediately, when glucose is not utilized immediately the body stores the remaining glucose as glycogen. When the levels of glucose in the body begin to fall, the liver will convert the stored glycogen releasing them back to circulate in the body. This process helps maintain consistent glucose levels in most of the organs. Insulin produced by the pancreas is responsible for transporting glucose from blood into the body cells (Masuok, Rakugi & Lambert, 59).
Diabetes occurs when one’s body cannot make insulin, or his body does not respond properly to insulin produced resulting in high blood glucose. Diabetes can be described as a triangular disorder involving a complex interaction of chemical found in carbohydrates, fats and the pancreas enzymes that includes insulin and glucagon. There are two types of diabetes including type 1 and type 2. Diabetes Type 1 is commonly known as s juvenile diabetes because it is often found in children and adolescence. Diabetes type 1 occurs when the body immune system destroys cells producing insulin called the beta cells. Type 2 diabetes reduces insulin production therefore it occurs when the body does not take up glucose as fast as expected when insulin is produced (Masuok, Rakugi & Lambert, 59).Causes of Diabetes on Cardiovascular and Renal Systems
The cardiovascular system and renal system are the two most important body organs; they allow the circulation of nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide and hormones in the blood. While the renal system includes kidneys that produce urine and other organs like ureters, bladder and urethra, these organs are responsible for passage, storage and emptying of urine. The renal and cardiovascular systems share similar etiologic factors when it comes to diabetes. These two organs do communicate with one another using several pathways; therefore the interaction between the renal system and cardiovascular system are crucial because they act as regulators. Studies have indicated that patients with diabetes have increased a risk of cardiovascular diseases and also renal system dysfunction. Diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are closely related because of the metabolic activities. In one of the studies, it is estimated that more than twenty million people diagnosed with diabetes, most of them have certain cardiovascular diseases or renal dysfunctions. Some of the common cardiovascular diseases resulting from diabetes includes stroke, high blood pressure among others. Cardiovascular diseases and renal dysfunction are mostly associated with diabetes have increased by 23% according to the American Medical Association (Masuok, Rakugi & Lambert, 66).
Diabetes has been recognized to be one of the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. A diabetic person may have high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. In addition, patients with diabetes experience brain stiffness due to narrowed vessels that supply blood to the brain. Blood ...