3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

Diabetes is an increasing health challenge in South Africa and requires a good understanding and adherence to fairly complex regimes of management. Little is known about barriers to care in the South African context, particularly amongst the younger population and little is known about potential gender difference in this group. A strong need emerges to understand the lived experiences of young people facing this chronic condition. A lot has been documented about gender differences in treatment seeking behaviours from other illnesses, but not much in diabetes care. Most diabetes research is conducted using quantitative method, there is not a lot of research looking at the diabetes patients’ lives. The study explores the lived experiences of young people, aged 18-35 years, living with type 1 diabetes, attending Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (CHBH). The study adopted qualitative methods where a phenomenological approach was used in order to enhance the understanding of the lived experiences of young people living with type 1 diabetes. Purposive sampling was used. One focus group discussion with eight young men, as well as 3 in-depth interviews with young women. All participants were accessed through attending the Baragwanath Hospital diabetes clinic, and were interviewed during a diabetes camp. It was a challenge to find patience willing to open up and provide details sought by the researcher. The saturation approach was adopted in which the small sample size was complemented by deep seated conversations held during the group discussion and the in-depth interviews. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show that there are challenges with having to enjoy being young and managing the illness. Challenges also include stigma and limited understanding of the illness by people close to the participants. Findings also reveal that there is a positive relationship between patients and diabetes clinic staff as well as peer supporters. This aids patients with coping with the day to day challenges they grapple with as they deal with diabetes. There are some gender issues involved in living with diabetes, whereby young men usually face challenges in their sexual lives, and young women have pregnancy related challenges. This study shows the importance of a support system in a patient’s journey with diabetes. Increased understanding of barriers to care is important for effective management Therefore, it is recommended that other clinics have a dedicated time or place that is meant for young people. It is also recommended that diabetes awareness is promoted to the general population, to aid in coping with the illness.

Throughout the world, many traditional plant treatments for diabetes exist and therein lies a hidden wealth of potentially useful natural products for diabetes contrl. Despite this, few traditional antidiabetic plants have received scientific or medical scrutiny, and the World Health Organisation ( 1980 ) recommended accordingly that this area warrants further evaluation.

The interaction between miglitol, an a-glucosidase inhibitor used as an adjunct therapy in diabetes, and phenytoin, an anticonvulsant primarily used in the treatment of epilepsy, was studied over 26 days. Twenty-four healthy male volunteers took part in a placebo controlled, double blind, cross-over study in two phases, to determine the effects of multiple 100mg doses of miglitol on a single 400mg dose of phenytoin sodium. Miglitol or placebo was administered three times daily from Day 1 to Day 5. Phenytoin was administered as a single dose on Day 3 of each phase, after which blood samples were taken at regular intervals. A washout period of 14 days separated the two phases.

3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions

Browse

Filters

Settings

Sort By

Results per page

Search Results