Diabetes Type 1 and 2: Differences, Non-Pharmacological Treatment, Complications, and Relationship with Depression

This article discusses the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, non-pharmacological treatment options for type 2 diabetes, potential long-term physical complications of type 2 diabetes, and the relationship between type 2 diabetes and depression. It also includes references to relevant books and journals.

DIABETES TYPE 1 AND 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUESTION 1..................................................................................................................................1
Differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes..........................................................................1
QUESTION 2..................................................................................................................................2
Discussion of non-pharmacological treatment of type 2 diabetes...............................................2
QUESTION 3..................................................................................................................................2
Discussion of 1 potential long term physical complication of type 2 diabetes...........................2
QUESTION 4..................................................................................................................................3
Discussion of relationship between type 2 diabetes and depression...........................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

QUESTION 1
Differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes
Risk factors
Type 1 diabetes: People with parents or siblings with type 1 diabetes have higher risk of
developing type 1 diabetes (Carey & et. al. 2018). It can occur at any age but most commonly
occur to children and adolescents. Presence of certain type of genes can also increase
development of type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes: If a person is prediabetic and has slightly elevated blood sugar level. People
who are obese or carry excess weight and are physically inactive like Dave as he is Obese.
People who have immediate family members with type 2 diabetes. Dave’s father was diagnosed
with type 2 diabetes when he was 50.
Pathophysiology
Pathophysiology of type 1 diabetes is culmination of lymphocytic infiltration as well as
destruction of insulin secreting beta cells in pancreas (Zaccardi & et. al. 2016). In this insulin
secretion decreases, beta-cell mass declines until there is no insulin adequate for maintenance of
normal blood glucose levels. It is an autoimmune disease in which insulin-producing islet cells
are completely destroyed in pancreas.
Pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes is characteristics by resistance of peripheral insulin, hepatic
glucose production impaired regulations or by declining β-cell function. This can eventually
lead to failure of β -cell. In this type 2 diabetes islet cells that produce insulin are still working
but body becomes resistant to insulin (Barrière & et. al., 2018).
Treatment
There is cure for type 1 diabetes as body of such people do not produce insulin. So, the only
treatment to this type 1 diabetes is to inject insulin within patient body regularly (Chatterjee,
Khunti & Davies, 2017).
Type 2 diabetes can be managed and reversed with diet and exercise. Management of type 2
diabetes can be done though proper medication (Raveendran, Chacko & Pappachan, 2018). For
management of Dave’s diabetes he can be asked to reduce weight, maintain healthy diet and take
regular medication.
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QUESTION 2
Discussion of non-pharmacological treatment of type 2 diabetes
Diet
With proper consultation of dietitian changes within diet can be brought with diet of
Dave in which preferences to be included in diet (after discussion with dietitian), schedule, do’s
and don’t for diet can be explained to Dave. This will not only help in maintaining blood glucose
level of Dave but will further help in reducing weight. This will further help in bringing
improvement within elevated HbA1c level (Raveendran, Chacko & Pappachan, 2018).
Exercise
It is one of the most important type of non-pharmacological treatment that can help in
controlling and maintaining type 2 diabetes. Exercise can directly help in controlling blood
glucose level of patient, reduce obesity which is one of the main causes of diabetes. It can further
help in controlling worsening of diabetes (Carey & et. al. 2018). Doing regular and proper
exercise can directly help in activating molecular signals that can help in bringing improvement
within defects in insulin that can result in insulin-independent increase in glucose uptake. A
physiotherapist can help Dave in identifying type of exercises that he should do daily for
reducing weight and managing diabetes.
Weight management
Weight management is effective non- pharmacological treatment of type 2 diabetes
because it has potential to reduce blood glucose level (Dyer & et. al. 2020). Various studies have
explained that loss of 5% to 10% of body weight can reduce chances of diabetes. Weight
management will further help Dave to not only reduce blood glucose level but will further help
in managing Gastro oesophageal reflux disease we well.
QUESTION 3
Discussion of 1 potential long term physical complication of type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes have various kinds of long- term physical complications that can impact an
individual such as damage to large and small blood vessels, increasing chances of silent heart
attack, problem with eyes, kidney etc.
But one of the main long term physical complications of type 2 diabetes is associated with
eyes. Diabetes can result in blurred vision and can affect normal vision of eyes. It can result in
loss of eye sights if it is not detected at early age (Chatterjee, Khunti & Davies, 2017). Diabetes
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is well- known for affecting blue-yellow colour vision. It is known as diabetes retinopathy and it
is only because diabetes damage blood vessels in retina. If it is detected at early stage then it has
no symptoms and can be controlled but it is possible only by time to time and regular testing but
if it is not detected in timely manner then it can worsen and can affect eyes for long time period
and can result in blurring of vising and losing colour vision slowly (Barrière & et. al. 2018). This
is because due to type 2 diabetes macula starts swelling and thickening which is triggered by
blood-retinal barrier breakdown when blood glucose level increases and slowly affects vision.
There is a probability that Dave had diabetes from longer time period but was not detected at
earlier stage that resulted in blurred vision and blue-yellow colour loss.
QUESTION 4
Discussion of relationship between type 2 diabetes and depression
There is a strong relationship between type 2 diabetes and depression. It is said that if a
person has type 2 diabetes there are higher chances of them suffering from depression, and if a
person has depression, then also there are greater chances that they might suffer from depression
(Bergmans & et. al. 2021). If one of them is managed effectively then it can result in auto
management of other but if one of them get worse then it can impact other as well. Both
depression and type 2 diabetes are inter- related to each other in many different ways that have
been explained below:
Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of depression
Management of type 2 diabetes can be stressful. Not only this, many times long term side effect
of diabetes such as vision loss can increase stress and anxiety that can lead to depression (van
Sloten, & Schram, 2018). Blurred vision with blue-yellow colour loss was a long- term physical
complication of type 2 diabetes suffered by Dave can become a reason for increasing stress that
can become main reason that can lead Dave towards depression.
Depression increases the risk of type 2 diabetes
Depression can lead to increased levels of cortisol that can further result in insulin
resistance, dysregulation of the immune system and eventually into increasing risk of type 2
diabetes (Carey & et. al. 2018)
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Barrière, D. A., & et. al. (2018). Combination of high-fat/high-fructose diet and low-dose
streptozotocin to model long-term type-2 diabetes complications. Scientific
Reports. 8(1). 1-17.
Bergmans, R. S., & et. al. (2021). Understanding the relationship between type 2 diabetes and
depression: lessons from genetically informative study designs. Diabetic
Medicine. 38(2). e14399.
Carey, I. M., & et. al. (2018). Risk of infection in type 1 and type 2 diabetes compared with the
general population: a matched cohort study. Diabetes care. 41(3). 513-521.
Chatterjee, S., Khunti, K., & Davies, M. J. (2017). Type 2 diabetes. The lancet, 389(10085),
2239-2251.
Dyer, A. H., & et. al. (2020). Non-pharmacological interventions for cognition in patients with
type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review. QJM: An International Journal of
Medicine. 113(3). 155-161.
Raveendran, A. V., Chacko, E. C., & Pappachan, J. M. (2018). Non-pharmacological treatment
options in the management of diabetes mellitus. European endocrinology. 14(2). 31.
van Sloten, T., & Schram, M. (2018). Understanding depression in type 2 diabetes: a biological
approach in observational studies. F1000Research, 7.
Zaccardi, F., & et. al. (2016). Pathophysiology of type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus: a 90-year
perspective. Postgraduate medical journal. 92(1084). 63-69.
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