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Up All Night

Differentiating Diabetes

By Natalie G. Farny

Up All Night


 

Abstract

In this clicker case, students are introduced to George, an undergraduate student who has been experiencing some odd symptoms. His roommate convinces him to see a physician who recognizes that George's symptoms are consistent with diabetes mellitus; but is it type 1 or type 2, and how might you tell the difference? Participants in the case work together to obtain a diagnosis for George. The activity was developed as part of a larger project to increase case study teaching in anatomy and physiology by creating brief, modular, "plug-and-play" cases that are designed to easily integrate into more traditional class formats. The basic case presentation takes only 25-30 minutes of classroom time, with several suggestions for optional extensions within or outside the classroom. The case is formatted for easy use in large classrooms using clickers (personal response devices). The case was designed for an upper-level undergraduate course in anatomy and physiology, but could also be used in introductory biology, medical or nursing programs, or any human health-related courses.

   

Date Posted

10/13/2016

Overview

Objectives

  • Explain the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).
  • Describe the most common laboratory tests used for the diagnosis of DM.
  • Explain how the differences in the root cause of disease in type 1 and type 2 DM relate to the laboratory tests used to differentially diagnose different forms of DM.
  • Read and interpret clinical laboratory data in charts and graphs.
  • Understand and appreciate the difficulties of obtaining a diagnosis for any disease with complete certainty.

Keywords

diabetes mellitus; type 1; type 2; differential diagnosis; insulin; C-peptide; glucose test; MODY; LADA

  

Subject Headings

Aerospace Engineering
Anatomy
Biology (General)
Medicine (General)
Nursing
Physiology

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division, Clinical education

  

FORMAT

PDF, PowerPoint

   

TOPICAL AREAS

N/A

   

LANGUAGE

English

   

TYPE/METHODS

Clicker

 

 

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