Opinions on this school paper

[cj111]

If anyone cares to take the time to read this, I havent written a paper for school in a long time and just kind of winged this one. Its nothing fancy, because the project isn't supposed to be. Its just a 5 minute in class presentation on a drug of our choice.

Criticism is welcome or any ideas to add.
thanks



So, what is Glucagon? Glucagon is a naturally occuring peptide hormone that is secreted by the alpha cells of the pancreas in human beings. Glucagon is also a synthetic drug that is a 19-amino acid polypeptide and comes in powdered form, it must be reconstituted before it can be used. It is typically made from beef or pork pancreas.

Glucagon has one primary use in the body, to convert stored glycogen into glucose which can be used by the body to produce energy. Glucose is the primary source of energy for the body, because it is broken down into ATP.

What is glucose and glycogen. Glucose is a simple monosacharide that is a result from the breakdown of starch. In a nut shell, glucose equals energy. Glycogen is a polysaccaride , just a whole bunch of glucose molecules packaged together, that can be stored as an energy reserve. The liver can store up to 100grams of glycogen, skeletal muscle tissue can also hold glycogen, but not nearly as much as the liver.

So what happens when a person has no glucose left circulating in their blood stream? They have the potential to go into hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This is where glucagon comes in. Glucagon is used on patients who are unresponsive, and you are not able to get an IV on. It is administered intra muscular, or also sub q, at a dose of 1mg. May repeat dose 15-20 min PRN. Once administered, it will cause the stored glycogen in the liver and skeletal muscles to be released back into the blood stream as glucose, a usable form of energy.

Who doesn't get glucagon treatment? Any patient with a tumor of the pancreas, also known as insulinoma. Another contraindication of glucagon is pheochromocytoma , which is a tumor of the medulla of the adrenal glands.

Glucagon acts very quickly, and may induce nausea or vomiting, and has the potential to cause headaches. It is one of 3 medications that can be used for patients suffering from hypoglycemia.

[Hoggage_54]