Cellular Function and Disease: Analysis of Type 2 Diabetes Case Study

This case study examines a patient's symptoms of frequent urination, increased hunger and thirst, and fatigue, which led to a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. The assignment delves into the cellular dysfunctions associated with the disease, particularly focusing on the failure of pancreatic beta cells to produce insulin, leading to insulin resistance. It explores how mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to the symptoms, including body fatigue and the body's inability to properly convert sugar into energy. The analysis highlights the cellular mechanisms behind increased thirst due to high blood sugar, and increased hunger due to lack of energy. The study references the importance of understanding cellular function in the context of disease and explains the physiological processes disrupted by the disease.

Running head: CELLULAR FUNCTION AND DISEASE 1
Cellular function and disease
Name
Institution

CELLULAR FUNCTION AND DISEASE 2
Abstract
The thesis of the paper entails a discussion based on the case study provided which is about
cellular function and disease. The case study provided relates to a diagnosis result of a patient
which complaints about the following symptoms; frequent urination, increased hunger and being
thirsty and fatigue.
According to the medical report based on the above-mentioned symptoms, the patient suffers
from type 2 diabetes. The discussion response is based on various questions posted concerning
the patient’s health status.

CELLULAR FUNCTION AND DISEASE 3
Question 1 response
The cellular function which will help the patient to understand the symptoms I will be
explaining as a medical doctor is that type 2 diabetes is associated with the insulin content in the
body hence the symptoms he has been complaining about is due to the failure of the pancreatic
beta cells which are responsible for the production of the insulin in the body thus causes body
fatigue.
The cellular dysfunction that is pancreatic-beta cells will expose the body to experience
increased thirst symptoms by the patient as excess sugar in the blood cannot be converted into
energy hence requires more water in order to reduce blood sugar concentration. Therefore, the
patient will drink a lot of water.
Another cellular function which can also lead to the patient’s symptoms can be closely
linked to the mitochondrial dysfunction which plays the role in both the process of diabetes.
when one has type 2 diabetes, fats, liver and muscles do not properly responds to insulin hence
they resist blood sugar from getting into the cells to be converted into energy thus resulting to
high sugar build up in the blood hence results to the above-mentioned symptoms by the patient
hence causes frequent urination as complained by the patient.
The cellular function that has led to increased hunger symptoms is linked to the failure of
mitochondrion cells from performing their respiratory functions hence clotting of excess sugar in
the body result to type 2 diabetes as a lot of energy qill be required in the body which causes the
patient to have increased hunger. The body therefore will lack enough energy hence qill require
the patient to eat most of energy foods so as to reduce the rate of hunger (McCance & Huether,
2018).

CELLULAR FUNCTION AND DISEASE 4
Question 2 response
Body fatigue is caused by a number of factors mainly due to the high blood sugar level in the
body which is due to insulin resistance or lack of the insulin hormone in the body. the patient’s
body fatigue symptoms are closely related to high blood sugar in the body which has been
resulted by the insulin resistance by the body cells which cannot convert excess sugar in the
blood into energy hence there will be sugar build up in the blood thus the patient will complain
of the body fatigue.
Mitochondrial dysfunction can also be linked to the body fatigue symptoms since it creates
sites for respiration to occur hence when mitochondrial cells dysfunctions, a lot of sugar will not
be converted into energy leading to excess sugar in the blood which will contribute cells fatigue
due to overworking as they try to convert excess sugar into energy (Kalra & Sahay, 2018).
When there is excess sugar build up in the blood, the body cells will not respire normally or
controls the excess sugar content in the blood since the body cells like pancreatic-beta cell which
are responsible for production of insulin in the body will resist its duty, therefore, the body cells
in charge of blood sugar conversion will be exhausted hence stops working which later result to
body fatigue.

CELLULAR FUNCTION AND DISEASE 5
References
Kalra, S., & Sahay, R. (2018). Diabetes fatigue syndrome.
McCance, K. L., & Huether, S. E. (2018). Pathophysiology-E-Book: The Biologic Basis for
Disease in Adults and Children. Elsevier Health Sciences.