1.Health. Diabetes can be inherited. Type 1 diabetes is something that can develop in early adulthood, specifically adolescence. Symptoms for onset of the disease include excessive thirst, frequent urination, and blurred vision (Florez, 2016). The patient, Holly, is exhibiting signs of diabetes. According to her family history, she has a father with type 1 diabetes who has multiple family members with type 1 diabetes. Holly is 17 and falls within the time frame when people begin developing type 1 diabetes complications. While she may only have excessive thirst, frequent urination, and high blood sugar as symptoms, the initial diagnosis of type 1 diabetes may have been favored if the history of the mother did not show a potential type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

The mother’s history shows that on her side of the family there is morbid obesity with the mother and grandmother being morbidly obese and the grandmother suffering from type 2 diabetes. There are multiple relatives on the mother’s side of the family with high blood pressure and arthritis. This can be a concern for Holly as she herself is in the obese range with a BMI of 34. Holly could potentially cross over to the morbid obesity range. Such a high BMI could seriously impact quality of life, especially if she has family history of arthritis. One article states increased body weight leads to development of osteoarthritis.

Obesity is one of the risk factors for hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA), since mechanical overload on weight-bearing joints activates chondrocytes and accelerates cartilage degeneration. Surprisingly, obesity and overweight also contribute to hand OA due to a systemic effect involving the pro-inflammatory and -degenerative role of some adipokines, secreted by adipose tissue, as well as some joint cells (Sellam & Berenbaum, 2012, p. 621).

2.Prevention

If Holly has type 2 diabetes,...

These are consequences of poor lifestyle choices. The right lifestyle choices like a diet high in fruits and vegetables and lean meats and organ meats can lead to positive health outcomes that promote a nutritionally sound foundation for the rest of someone’s life. Additionally, cardiovascular exercise and a healthy BMI decreases the likelihood that a person will experience osteoarthritis and high blood pressure due to less weight on certain joints (hip joint) and improved stamina (heart).
Doctors the world over have noted the importance of a healthy BMI through exercise and nutrition. Nutrition plays a key role in preventing many chronic illnesses, especially related to obesity. Those with a family history of diabetes need to be especially concerned with eating less simple carbohydrates and opting for complex carbohydrates that have fiber and micro-nutrients. Such positive lifestyle options are the cornerstone of any healthy body.

3.Screening

Holly noted she has been obese since the age of 5. Therefore, even though type 2 diabetes is often asymptomatic, because she has lived with poor lifestyle choices for years, it is important to screen for both. Furthermore, it is important to perform a genetic screening for the risk of type 2 diabetes. A 2013 study noted the incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes. A whopping 90% of all cases of diabetes are type 2 (Lyssenko & Laakso, 2013). With type 2 diabetes being a complex disorder stemming from the interaction of environment with genes, it is important to screen for the likelihood of type 2 diabetes development, especially with type 1 diabetes development on one side of the family and one incidence of type 2 on the mother’s side.

Lyssenko & Laakso (2013) stated several risk factors can lead…