Diabetes 1 & 2

• symptoms of a diabetic condition may include:

  • increased urination (polyuria)
  • excessive thirst (polydipsia)
  • undesired weight loss
  • poor or prolonged wound healing
• • caused by autoimmune destruction of beta cells and thus no insulin secretion
  • consequences include:
  • extreme hyperglycemia (high blood sugar)
  • exaggerated post-absorptive state
  • significant fatty acid mobilization and ketoacidosis
  • atherosclerosis (buildup of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on the artery walls)
  • kidney failure
  • small blood vessel damage
  • treatment option(s): regular insulin injections


  type 1 (juvenile-onset)
• • caused by reduced insulin secretion from the pancreas and/or desensitized insulin receptors and/or reduced number of insulin receptors on target cells
  • often associated with obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and metabolic syndromes
  • consequences include:
  • hyperglycemia and other symptoms like type 1 but usually milder
  • treatment option(s): altered diet, increased physical activity, several medications that are prescribed based on the situation


  type 2 (adult-onset)
• what are some example target cells for insulin?

  muscle, adipose, liver, all tissues besides neural tissues
• how does insulin promote the uptake of glucose at target cells?


  increases # of Glut-4 transporters (mainly found in skeletal muscle cells & adipocytes)

  • leads to facilitated diffusion of glucose into the cell
• what cell types are notably NOT a target for insulin action?

  neural cells
• how do neural cells transport glucose into their ICF?

  glut-2 transporters
• what are typical baseline values for plasma glucose in a non-diabetic person?

  70-100 mg/dL
• what plasma glucose values would indicate a "pre-diabetic" condition?

  100-125 mg/dL
• what plasma glucose values indicate a diabetic condition?

  125 or higher mg/dL
• what is an "A1C value" and why is this a useful measure when diagnosing a diabetic condition?


  amount of glucose attached to hemoglobin

  • indicates avg. blood glucose levels

  test done every 3 months

  • RBC lifetime is 3 months
• why is insulin so commonly administered via injections? why not give the person an insulin pill to swallow?


  so that insulin, a peptide, doesn't get broken down in the stomach
• what type of acid-base disorder is diabetic ketoacidosis? how does the body attempt to compensate for this disorder?

  metabolic; hypoventilation -> want more buffering capacity

  ^ CO2 = ^ HCO3-