Type 2 Diabetes vs Chronic Kidney Disease, Case of Sharon

TYPE 2 DIABETES VS CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE, CASE OF SHARON 1
Type 2 Diabetes vs Chronic Kidney Disease, Case of Sharon
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TYPE 2 DIABETES VS CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE, CASE OF SHARON 2
Question 1
According to the case study, Sharon’s initial complication was Type 2 diabetes but with
time she developed chronic kidney disease. Because chronic kidney disease has not been linked
with any other cause, it implies that the two diseases might have some relationship.
Type 2 diabetes affects the ability of the body to produce or use insulin (Tucker, Scanlan,
and Dalbo, 2015). Insulin plays a very important role in the human body by moving the energy
realized after the food is turned into energy into the body cells. In the case where the body
produces little insulin or totally fails to produce insulin (insulin resistant), the sugar realized after
conversion stagnates in the bloodstream instead of proceeding into the cells. After some time, the
tiny blood vessels are damaged by the high levels of sugar inside the blood including the kidney
filters.
In consideration of the above explanation, it can be deduced that Sharon’s diabetic
condition damaged the tiny blood vessels in her body as a result of high sugar levels inside her
bloodstream. Her kidney filters continued to be damaged in the process (Molitch et al, 2015,
p.25). The high blood sugar levels made her kidneys to undergo vigorous activities as they
attempted to do their work of filtering. With time, they were damaged to the extent of leaking
small amounts of proteins (albumin) into her urine. That’s the reason why her eGFR was high
and with some proteinuria. The chronic kidney disease which Sharon developed with time hence
was as a result of the damaged filtering units within her kidneys by the high levels of sugar in her
blood.

TYPE 2 DIABETES VS CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE, CASE OF SHARON 3
One of the prescribed medications for Sharon was Metformin drugs. Metformin will
benefit her by reducing or minimizing the amount of sugar that the liver will be releasing into her
blood (Qi et al, 2017, p770). In addition, Metformin will make her body respond better to
insulin. Enhancing the response of insulin within her body will play an important role because
insulin is the only hormone responsible for controlling the sugar levels in the blood.
However, for Metformin to effectively perform its work inside the body, it will have to
be taken with meals. This will help in reducing the side effects. The most common side effects of
Metformin are diarrhea, stomach ache and feeling sick (Rena, Hardie and Pearson, 2017).
Question 2
Compared to the normal BGL values for healthy individuals, Sharon’s BGLs were high,
probably because of her diabetic condition. For instance, the normal blood sugar levels for
healthy people rage between 4.0 and 5.4mmol/L after staying for some time without taking any
meal (He and Wondisford, 2015, p.160). After taking a meal, the BGL can only go up to the
extent of 7.8mmol/L. Compared to what has been presented in the case of Sharon, 7 to 8mmol/L
when she stays for a long time without taking a meal and 8 to 11mmol/L throughout the day, it is
very clear that she had a problem.
Generally, the BGLs for Sharon had to be different because of her diabetic condition. The
Type 2 diabetes had affected the ability of her body to produce and use insulin which would
move the energy (sugar or glucose) realized after the food is turned into energy into her body
cells. Therefore, the sugar realized after conversion stagnated in her bloodstream instead of