214.201 Human Bioscience: Impaired Body Function Disease discussion Vicki Puryer-Ross 08430713 Type II Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes Mellitus Type II Diabetes is a significant health issue with potentially life threatening complications. It is a result of insulin action insufficiency, which greatly increases circulating glucose in the blood. Every day 19 people are diagnosed with diabetes in New Zealand. Diabetes is expected to double between 2006 and 2011 (Diabetes New Zealand, 2008). There are different classes of diabetes. This discussion will look at the risk factors, pathogenesis, tests and treatment pertaining to diabetes mellitus type II (type II diabetes) in New Zealand. Type II diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in New Zealand. Diabetes New Zealand found 800,000 obese or overweight people are at risk of developing type II diabetes, approximately 105,000 are diagnosed with type II diabetes, an estimated 115,000 are undiagnosed and 300,000 other New Zealanders are at risk. Brown & Edwards et al (2008) explain that type II diabetes is a major health cost to New Zealand costing $400 million in 2001 and predicted to rise to over a billion dollars by 2001. The risk factors Obesity The single most important risk factor for diabetes is obesity. Obesity is associated with the adoption of a high cholesterol, high calorie diet, combined with a low exercise lifestyle. This contributes to a continuously high circulating glucose level, putting an individual at risk of glucose intolerance, and in turn type II diabetes. Obesity acts at least in part by inducing resistance to peripheral glucose uptake by insulin, which is an important component of type II diabetes (De Fronzo, 1991). It is thought that leptin, a hormone involved with appetite and metabolism, may play a role in the aetiology of diabetes. Current research is investigating the importance of leptin in humans and the hormone’s involvement with obesity and consequently to diabetes (Koebnick &...