Type 1 Diabetes Case Study Essay

Case Study A 14-year-old girl and her mother came into the emergency room with concerns of the child experiencing lethargy, polydipsia, polyuria, polyphagia, and weight loss, even though she has been eating. The mother also mentioned that the patient’s breath has been smelling “fruity”. After further examination, it was determined that she has a high heart rate and high blood pressure. Evaluation of her arteries determined that the high blood pressure is being caused by atherosclerosis. The patient’s mother said a few years earlier the daughter had gone to the doctors and was informed she should be taking insulin, but due to the cost, they were unable to afford it. Without insulin, chronic complications such as, atherosclerosis, retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, nerve damage, and gangrene can occur. With the following symptoms it is suspected that she has type 1 diabetes mellitus. With the circumstances, she is asked to take a urine test and a blood test. Both the tests have results of high glucose levels. The urine was also positive for ketoacidosis, which is an indicator of type 1 diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 Diabetes …show more content…
Since the body is not producing insulin, the body breaks down fat to use for fuel. Free fatty acids are then transported through the blood to the liver to make ketone bodies. Then the body continues to use fat that is released in the blood and the liver continuously makes ketone bodies. Continuous production of ketone bodies eventually lowers the pH of the blood, resulting in acidosis (Ketones, n.d.). Ketones are weak organic acids and the body produces them faster than the body can break them down (Guthrie & Guthrie, 2004). Ketoacidosis can cause a person’s breath to have a “fruity” odor. This is because one of the ketones, acetone, gives off a “fruity” smell in someone’s breath due to respiratory elimination (“Acetone Breath”, n.d.). Untreated ketoacidosis may lead to a coma or