Chapter 32, Problem 2CTPQ

Summary Introduction

To describe:

A patient with type 2 diabetes comes to the department with an acute asthma attack and pneumonia. Her condition is stabilized, and she is admitted to the hospital to receive intravenous doses of antibiotics and corticosteroids. She says that, before this episode, she took oral drugs for diabetes and had her diabetes “under control”, with fasting blood glucose levels ranging from 99 to 106 mg/dl, on most mornings. However, the next morning, her fasting blood glucose level is 177 mg/dl, and her glucose levels remain elevated for the next few days. The patient is upset and declares, “I’m hardly eating anything extra. Why is my blood sugar so high?” What is the nurse’s best answer to the patient’s concerns?

Concept introduction:

Diabetes mellitus is a clinical condition that is related to metabolism. Insulin decreases the blood glucose concentration; hence, deficiency of insulin and insulin receptor defects cause this major disorder. The type 2 diabetes mellitus is commonly found in adults, and it is not dependent on insulin. This type is characterized by a defect in insulin receptors.