Until recently, 6-year-old Billie had no apparent health problems. About 1 week ago, she started to lose weight despite a healthy appetite. She urinated frequently and complained of being tired. Her mom noticed that she was very thirsty and was getting up in the middle of the night to urinate. On examination, her blood sugar was elevated. She was diagnosed with type 1 (juvenile-onset) diabetes mellitus.
a. Which homeostatic mechanism is not properly functioning?
b. Explain the physiology of this disease, what's going wrong? Be specific.
c. What can happen if the diabetes is not controlled?