Diabetes and DiffusionCarol ComynsStanbridge UniversityAssignment #1Instructor: Vicky SweetDIABETES AND DIFFUSION 2The first evidence of diabetes, however, was found on an early Egyptian manuscript dating from 1500 BCE; it is only in the last 200 years that we understand what is happening at the cellular level in an individual with diabetes (Polansky, 2012). We now know that diabetes is a complex disorder caused by genetic, chemical, and lifestyle factors that contribute to the body's inability to use glucose for energy and cellular functions (ADA, 2013) .Our patientMrs. Jones was admitted to the hospital for evaluation due to diabetes-related high blood sugar. His blood sugar was 350 and his physical examination revealed dry skin and mucous membranes. On a cellular level, Ms. Jones' cells are dehydrated due to changes in osmotic pressure related to her high blood sugar. Cells become dehydrated when poor cellular diffusion of glucose leads to increased glucose concentrations outside the cell and decreased concentrations inside the cell. Diffusion refers to the movement of particles from one gradient to another. In simple diffusion, there is a stabilization of unequal particles on either side of a permeable membrane through which the particles move freely to equalize the particles on both sides. Facilitated diffusion, more complex, is a passive transport of large particles from a high particle concentration to a lower particle concentration using a transport protein (Porth, 2011). Our body's cell membranes are semi-permeable, allowing smaller molecules to flow freely from the intracellular to the extracellular space. The glucose molecule, however; is too large to diffuse through the cell...... middle of paper ...... the interior of the cell? If glucose molecules were able to move across the cell membrane without the help of a facilitating molecule, then the concentration of glucose in the extracellular and intracellular environments would be equal. We then speak of simple diffusion. In this case, there would be none of the changes or symptoms that we typically see with high blood sugar. In fact, there would be no hyperglycemia. The balance of glucose molecules inside and outside the cells would be stable. Glucose is the primary source of energy for cells and is therefore necessary for all cellular functions that require energy. Facilitated diffusion plays an important role in managing glucose concentrations, both intracellular and extracellular, by ensuring a balance of glucose in cells which, when misused, disrupts the body's homeostasis..