Perdas gestacionais, malformações, restrição de crescimento intrauterino (IUGR) são associadas a gestações diabéticas. Para ampliar o conhecimento nesse tema, nosso grupo desenvolveu um modelo de gestação complicada por diabetes tipo 1 em camundongos que, nessa tese, foi utilizado para analisar o ciclo estral, desenvolvimento fetal e organização placentária. O diabetes foi induzido por aloxana e estudado em dois períodos 30-50D (curto prazo) e 90-110D (longo prazo). Placentas e fetos foram coletados, pesados, e submetidos a técnicas moleculares, bioquímicas e morfológicas. Detectaram-se alterações no perfil temporal do ciclo estral. O grupo 30-50D apresentou altas taxas de perdas embrionárias e IUGR, e o 90-110D malformações, mortes fetais, IUGR e aumento no peso placentário. As placentas diabéticas apresentaram aumento e desorganização da zona juncional, redução do labirinto e vasodilatação. A expressão dos colágenos I e III aumentou e a do V diminuiu em 30-50D, porém, a deposição destes aumentou concomitante com a redução da atividade da MMP9. A deposição dos colágenos III e V e a atividade da MMP2 aumentaram em 90-110D. Nossos resultados reiteram a importância do fator temporal nas complicações do diabetes sobre a gestação. / Gestational loss, malformations and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are often associated with pregnancies. To increase the knowledge about this topic, our group has developed a model of pregnancy complicated by type 1 diabetes in mice. In this study, was analyzed the estrous cycle and the fetal and placental development. For this, diabetes was induced by alloxan and studied in two time-periods 30-50D (short term) and 90-110D (long term). Placentas and fetuses were collected, weighed and analyzed by biochemical, morphological and molecular procedures. We detected changes in the temporal profile of the estrous cycle. The 30-50D group showed high rates of embryonic loss and IUGR whereas malformations, fetal death, IUGR and increased placental weight was detected in 90-110D. Increase and disorganization of junctional zone, reducing labirinth and vasodilation characterize diabetic placentas. The expression of collagen I and III was increased whereas collagen V decreased in the 30-50D. The deposition of this collagen, however increased concomitant with the reduction of MMP9 activity. In 90-110D deposition of collagen III and V and the MMP2 activity was increased. Together, our results reinforce the relevance of the time factor in the complications of diabetes on pregnancy.

Orientador: James Venturini / Resumo: Dermatofitoses são infecções fúngicas causadas por fungos dermatofíticos que geralmente afetam a camada córnea da pele, cabelos e unhas, mas sob certas condições podem apresentar envolvimento invasivo. A espécie Trichophyton rubrum é o dermatófito mais frequentemente isolado em espécimes clínicos. Além disso, pacientes com diabetes mellitus tipo II (DM-II) são mais suscetíveis a esta infecção fúngica e a relação dermatófito-hospedeiro é pouco compreendida. Contudo, o perfil pró-inflamatório observado em pacientes com hiperglicemia é uma condição complicadora nessa relação. Os receptores de reconhecimento padrão (PRRs) presentes nos fagócitos, como os receptores de manose (MR), dectina-1, toll-like (TLR) -2 e -4, reconhecem estruturas fúngicas e são responsáveis por desencadear mecanismos de ativação e regulação celular durante o processo inflamatório. Assim, o presente estudo tem como objetivo determinar o papel desses receptores na ativação de monócitos de pacientes com DM-II e dermatofitoses por T. rubrum. Exoantígenos de T. rubrum foram obtidos de pacientes com diabetes e indivíduos normoglicêmicos. Os PRRs foram bloqueados em monócitos e monócitos THP-1 de pacientes com DM-II e indivíduos normoglicêmicos desafiados com Exo_Tr_NG e Exo_Tr_DM. Posteriormente, o TNF e MIP-1α e IL-1β foram dosados. A expressão desses receptores foi avaliada por citometria de fluxo. Nenhuma diferença estatística foi observada no ensaio de inibição de monócitos de pacientes diabéticos e indivíd... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Dermatophytoses are fungal infections caused by dermatophytic fungi that usually affect the cornea layer of the skin, hair and nails, but under certain conditions may present invasive involvement. The species Trichophyton rubrum is the dermatophyte most often isolated in clinical specimens. In addition patients with type II diabetes mellitus (DM-II) are more susceptible to this fungal infection. The dermatophyte-host relationship is poorly understood; However, the pro-inflammatory profile observed in patients with hyperglycemia is a complicating condition in this relationship. The pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) present in phagocytes, such as the mannose (MR), dectin-1, toll-like (TLR) -2 and -4 receptor, recognize fungal structures and are responsible for triggering mechanisms of cellular activation and regulation during the inflammatory process, as well as influence on the polarization of the adaptive immune response. Thus, any interference in this process may impair the host to effectively and pathogenically eliminate pathogens. Thus, the present study aims to determine the role of these receptors in the activation of monocytes of patients with DM-II. Exoantigens of T. rubrum were obtained from patients with diabetes and normoglycemic individuals. PRRs were blocked in THP-1 monocytes and monocytes from DM-II patients and normoglycemic individuals challenged with Exo_Tr_NG and Exo_Tr_DM. Subsequently, TNF and MIP-1α and IL-1β were dosed. The expression of these recepto... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

<p><strong>Syfte: </strong>Syftet<strong> </strong>var att beskriva hur personer med diabetes mellitus typ två upplever socialt stöd. <strong>Bakgrund:</strong> Forskning har visat att socialt stöd är betydelsefullt för personer med diabetes mellitus typ två. Personerna behöver ofta genomföra livsstilsförändringar som kan påverka den sociala miljön och vardagen. Socialt stöd är centralt för personens förmåga till livsstilsförändringar och en god egenvård. För att hjälpa personen att förbättra egenvården kan sjuksköterskan arbeta för att förbättra det sociala stödet för personen med diabetes mellitus typ två. <strong>Metod: </strong>Studien utformades som en allmän litteraturstudie med ett systematiskt arbetssätt. Resultatet utgjordes av vetenskapliga artiklar baserade på kvalitativa empiriska studier. Under analysen togs meningsenheter ut och sammanfogades till kategorier <strong>Resultat: </strong>Genom analysen utarbetades åtta kategorier: att ha någon att tala med, att uppleva förståelse, att bli accepterad, att få information och råd, att få uppmuntran, att få utvärderande kommentarer, att få assistans och att förändras tillsammans. <strong>Slutsats: </strong>För att hjälpa personen att genomföra bestående livsstilsförändringar kan sjuksköterskan inkludera omgivningen och diskutera frågor angående det sociala stödet. För att kunna hjälpa personen att hantera det sociala stödet kan sjuksköterskan uppmärksamma att socialt stöd kan upplevas både som positivt och negativ och hjälpa personen att utvärdera sina sociala influenser.</p> / <p><strong>Aim: </strong>The aim was to describe social support as experienced by people with diabetes mellitus type two. <strong>Background:</strong> Research has shown that social support is significant for persons with diabetes mellitus type two. The person often has to make life-style changes that can affect the social environment and daily life. Social support is central to the person’s ability of making life-style changes and to self-management. To help the person improve self-management nurses should try to improve the social support for the person<strong>. Methods: </strong>The study was designed as a literature review with a systematic work procedure. The findings were based on qualitative empirical studies, published in peer reviewed periodicals. Meaning units were identified and arranged into categories. <strong>Findings: </strong>Through the analysis eight categories were discovered: having someone to talk to, experiencing understanding, experiencing acceptance, receiving information and advice, receiving encouragement, receiving appraising comments, receiving assistance and changing together. <strong>Conclusions: </strong>To help the person make lasting life-style changes, nurses can include the social environment and discuss matters of social support. To help the person manage their social support, nurses can inform that social support can be experienced as positive as well as negative and help the person evaluate their social influences.</p>

<p><strong>Syfte:</strong> Att undersöka hur kvinnor med diabetes typ-1 upplever informationen före och i samband med graviditet samt omvårdnaden i samband med graviditet. <strong>Metod:</strong> Semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju kvinnor genomfördes och innehållet analyserades med tematisk analysmetod för att få fram kategorier och subkategorier. <strong>Resultat:</strong> Majoriteten av kvinnorna fick information gällande graviditet i samband med behandlingen av sin diabetessjukdom av hälsovården innan de blev gravida. Många av kvinnorna upplevde att fokus under graviditeten låg på blodsockerkontrollerna och att barnmorskorna på specialistmödravården fokuserade på diabetessjukdomen och glömde mödravården. Informationen på specialistmödravården upplevdes som bristande eller saknades helt och kvinnorna valde att söka information själva. Omvårdnaden och mottagandet var bra på specialistmödravården fastän det framkom att väntetiderna ibland var långa och att personalen var ostrukturerad. <strong>Slutsats:</strong> De flesta kvinnorna upplever att informationen på specialistmödravården är bristande eller att den kommer för sent, medan de upplever att omvårdnaden i de flesta fall är bra. Vi anser att det finns utrymme för förbättringar genom att exempelvis utforma en broschyr med information gällande graviditet i samband med diabetes typ-1. Vi tycker att det är viktigt att vårdpersonalen förklarar för kvinnorna hur de kan minimera riskerna och poängtera att många kvinnor med diabetes typ-1 idag får friska barn.</p> / <p><strong>Aim:</strong> To investigate how women with diabetes type-1 experienced information before and during pregnancy and nursing care during pregnancy. <strong>Method:</strong> Semi-structured interviews with seven women were carried out and the content was analyzed with a thematic analysis to generate categories and subcategories. <strong>Result:</strong> The majority of the women received information about pregnancy associated with diabetes type-1 in health care before they became pregnant. Many women felt that the focus during pregnancy was on blood sugar control and that the focused on diabetes and forgot about maternity care. The information received was seen as inadequate or missing entirely, and the women chose to seek information themselves. The care was good although it appeared that the waiting times were long and the staff was unstructured. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Most women feel that the information is inadequate or that it comes too late, while they experience that the care in most cases is good. We believe that there is room for improvement, for example by designing a brochure with information regarding pregnancy associated with diabetes type-1. We think it is important that health professionals explain to women how they can minimize risks and point out that many women with diabetes type-1 have healthy children.</p>

The human being and other animals contain immensely complex biochemical processes that govern their function on a cellular level. It is estimated that several thousand small molecules (metabolites) are produced by various biochemical pathways in humans. Pathological processes can introduce perturbations in these biochemical pathways which can lead to changes in the amounts of some metabolites.Developments in analytical chemistry have made it possible measure a large number metabolites in a single blood sample, which gives a metabolic profile. In this thesis I have worked on establishing and understanding metabolic profiles from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and from animal models of the autoimmune diseases diabetes mellitus type 1 (T1D) and RA.Using multivariate statistical methods it is possible to identify differences between metabolic profiles of different groups. As an example we identified differences between patients with RA and healthy volunteers. This can be used to elucidate the biochemical processes that are active in a given pathological condition.Metabolite concentrations are affected by a many other things than the presence or absence of a disease. Both genomic and environmental factors are known to influence metabolic profiles. A main focus of my work has therefore been on finding strategies for ensuring that the results obtained when comparing metabolic profiles were valid and relevant. This strategy has included repetition of experiments and repeated measurement of individuals’ metabolic profiles in order to understand the sources of variation.Finding the most stable and reproducible metabolic effects has allowed us to better understand the biochemical processes seen in the metabolic profiles. This makes it possible to relate the metabolic profile differences to pathological processes and to genes and proteins involved in these.The hope is that metabolic profiling in the future can be an important tool for finding biomarkers useful for disease diagnosis, for identifying new targets for drug design and for mapping functional changes of genomic mutations. This has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of disease pathology and thus improving health care.

Syfte: Att undersöka hur kvinnor med diabetes typ-1 upplever informationen före och i samband med graviditet samt omvårdnaden i samband med graviditet. Metod: Semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju kvinnor genomfördes och innehållet analyserades med tematisk analysmetod för att få fram kategorier och subkategorier. Resultat: Majoriteten av kvinnorna fick information gällande graviditet i samband med behandlingen av sin diabetessjukdom av hälsovården innan de blev gravida. Många av kvinnorna upplevde att fokus under graviditeten låg på blodsockerkontrollerna och att barnmorskorna på specialistmödravården fokuserade på diabetessjukdomen och glömde mödravården. Informationen på specialistmödravården upplevdes som bristande eller saknades helt och kvinnorna valde att söka information själva. Omvårdnaden och mottagandet var bra på specialistmödravården fastän det framkom att väntetiderna ibland var långa och att personalen var ostrukturerad. Slutsats: De flesta kvinnorna upplever att informationen på specialistmödravården är bristande eller att den kommer för sent, medan de upplever att omvårdnaden i de flesta fall är bra. Vi anser att det finns utrymme för förbättringar genom att exempelvis utforma en broschyr med information gällande graviditet i samband med diabetes typ-1. Vi tycker att det är viktigt att vårdpersonalen förklarar för kvinnorna hur de kan minimera riskerna och poängtera att många kvinnor med diabetes typ-1 idag får friska barn. / Aim: To investigate how women with diabetes type-1 experienced information before and during pregnancy and nursing care during pregnancy. Method: Semi-structured interviews with seven women were carried out and the content was analyzed with a thematic analysis to generate categories and subcategories. Result: The majority of the women received information about pregnancy associated with diabetes type-1 in health care before they became pregnant. Many women felt that the focus during pregnancy was on blood sugar control and that the focused on diabetes and forgot about maternity care. The information received was seen as inadequate or missing entirely, and the women chose to seek information themselves. The care was good although it appeared that the waiting times were long and the staff was unstructured. Conclusion: Most women feel that the information is inadequate or that it comes too late, while they experience that the care in most cases is good. We believe that there is room for improvement, for example by designing a brochure with information regarding pregnancy associated with diabetes type-1. We think it is important that health professionals explain to women how they can minimize risks and point out that many women with diabetes type-1 have healthy children.

Background/aim. The incidence of microvascular complications has been reported to be unchanged the last decades. However, in randomized clinical trials it has been shown that improved metabolic control can reduce the development of long term complications. It has been debated whether it is possible to achieve the same results in an unselected population. In a previous study we found a decreased incidence of overt nephropathy, but unchanged incidence of severe laser treated retinopathy in a population of patients with type 1 diabetes diagnosed in childhood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence 10 years later in the same population and to analyse the importance of possible risk factors. In another previous study we found a high prevalence of subclinical neuropathy among young diabetic patients despite intensive insulin therapy since diagnosis. The aim of the present study was to examine if intensive treatment is more effective in preventing early diabetic complications other than neuropathy. The incidence of type 1 diabetes has doubled in Sweden the last decades. The reason must be environmental factors. These, as well as more intensive insulin regimens from onset of diabetes, might also lead to different disease process. We wanted to analyse if clinical characteristics at onset had changed the last 25 years and if there was any secular trend of C-peptide secretion. We also intended to investigate if longer persistence of C-peptide secretion could be of importance for prevention of long term complications. Methods. The whole study population consisted of all 478 patients with type 1 diabetes diagnosed before the age of 15 during the years 1961 - 2000, living in the catchment area of the Paediatric Clinic, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden. For the statistical analysis the population was divided into five–year cohorts according to time of onset of diabetes. The cumulative proportion of severe retinopathy and overt nephropathy in 269 patients with onset of diabetes 1961 - 1985 was computed with survival analysis. Multivariable regression models were used to analyse the importance of metabolic control, diabetes duration, blood pressure, smoking, BMI, lipids and persisting C-peptide secretion. The prevalence of all grades of retinal changes, nephropathy and neuropathy, defined as abnormal nerve conduction, was estimated in the late 1990s in a subgroup of 80 children and adolescents with mean 13 years of diabetes duration. Clinical characteristics at onset, duration of partial remission and regularly measurements of fasting and stimulated C-peptide secretion the first five years after onset were analysed in 316 patients with onset of diabetes 1976 - 2000. Results. The cumulative proportion of severe laser treated retinopathy showed a significant declining trend the last decades. The decrease was significant between the oldest cohort with diabetes onset 1961 - 1965 and the cohorts with diabetes onset 1971 - 1975 and 1976 - 1980. The cumulative proportion of overt nephropathy also declined with a significant decrease between the oldest cohorts and all the following cohorts. After 25 years of diabetes duration it was 30% and 8% in the two oldest cohorts respectively and remained largely unchanged after 30 years. Diabetes duration and long term HbA1c were the only significant independent risk factors for both retinopathy and nephropathy. The risk of overt nephropathy increased substantially when HbA1c was above 8.5%, while the risk of severe retinopathy increased already when HbA1c exceeded 7.5%. The prevalence of neuropathy was 59%, of retinopathy 27% and of nephropathy 5% in the population of young patients after mean 13 years of diabetes duration. During the last 25 years the clinical characteristics at onset were unchanged as well as duration of partial remission and magnitude and persistence of C-peptide secretion. Conclusions. In this unselected population the cumulative proportion of severe retinopathy and overt nephropathy decreased over the last decades. Diabetic nephropathy has probably been prevented and not just postponed. Good glycaemic control was the most important factor to avoid complications, with the necessity of a lower level of HbA1c to escape retinopathy than nephropathy. Intensive insulin regimens from diabetes onset was not sufficient to entirely escape early diabetic complications after mean 13 years of diabetes duration, even if the prevalence of retinopathy and especially nephropathy was lower than usually reported. The clinical picture at onset of diabetes was unchanged the last 25 years. There was no secular trend of partial diabetes remission or C-peptide secretion during the first years after diagnosis.

Diabetesmellitus typ 2 ökar kraftigt både i Sverige och i övriga världen. Detta kanrelateras till sämre matvanor och övervikt. Förvirringen kring vad människorska äta för att hålla sig friska och sunda har aldrig varit större. Det finnsskilda uppfattningar och media sänder olika budskap. Sjuksköterskan ska arbetaefter vetenskap och beprövad erfarenhet, och ska därmed kunna ge rättinformation till patienter avseende kost. Syftet med litteraturstudien var attkartlägga effekterna av lågkolhydratkost till patienter med diabetes typ 2genom att sammanställa aktuell forskning. Resultatet visade bland annatbetydande viktreduktion samt minskning av HbA1c och antidiabetika.Inga negativa effekter på kardiovaskulära riskfaktorer sågs. Sjuksköterskan kandärför ge information om lågkolhydratkost och dess effekter för att underlättaför diabetes patienter att ta beslut i sin egenvård. Det ställer dock krav påuppföljning från sjukvården för att undvika hypoglykemi hos patienterna. Dåartikelsökningen endast genererade i kvantitativa studier behövs det iframtiden kvalitativa studier för att få fram effekterna av lågkolhydratkost påpatientens upplevelse av hälsa och livskvalitet. Det behövs ocksåuppföljningsstudier för att få fram långtidseffekterna av att ätalågkolhydratkost för diabetiker. / Diabetes mellitus type 2 is increasing rapidly in Sweden and all over the world. This can be related to bad eating habits and overweight. The confusion about what people should eat to stay healthy and slim has never been bigger. There are different ideas and media sends different messages. The nurse shall work for science and proven experience, and will therefore be able to provide the right information to patients regarding diet. The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of low carbohydrate diet in patients with type 2 diabetes by compiling the current research. The result showed among other things, significant weight reduction and decrease of HbA1c and antidiabetic medications. No negative effects were observed on the cardiovascular risk factors. The nurse can therefore provide information about low carbohydrate diet and its effects to make it easier for diabetics to make decisions in their self-care. It does however require follow-up from health care to avoid hypoglycaemia in patients. Since the article search only generated in quantitative studies, qualitative studies are needed in the future to obtain the long term effects of low carbohydrate diet in patients experience of health and quality of life. It also needs follow-up studies to obtain the long term effects of eating low carbohydrate diet for diabetics.

I Sverige är 365 000 personer drabbade av sjukdomen diabetes mellitus typ 2. Sjukdomen kan bero på ärftliga eller miljömässiga faktorer. Sjukdomen börjar med insulinresistens i muskler, lever och fettvävnad som kan leda till allvarliga komplikationer. Patienter har behov av stöd från sjukvårdspersonalen för att hantera de egenkontroller och livsstilsförändringar som är nödvändiga. Genom empowerment kan patienter ta kontroll över sjukdomen. Litteraturstudiens syfte var att undersöka hur patienter med diabetes mellitus typ 2 beskriver sitt behov av stöd. Litteraturstudien består av 10 vetenskapliga artiklar, sex kvalitativa, två kvantitativa och två artiklar som är både kvalitativa och kvantitativa. Resultatet redovisas i fem teman: patientens behov av information som stöd, patientens behov av kunskap som stöd, patientens behov av undervisning som stöd, patientens behov av socialt stöd, patientens behov av stöd från sjukvårdspersonal. Patienter önskar information om blodsockerkontroller, medicinering, kost och motion från sjukvårdspersonalen för att kunna genomföra egenvård. Utbildning i grupp uppskattades av patienter, särskilt tillsammans med patienter med samma sjukdom och erfarenheter som de själva. Stöd från patientens omgivning kan stärka patientens livskvalitet. Upplevs behovet av stöd från sjukvårdspersonalen som tillräckligt upplevs sjukdomen hanterbar av patienterna. Det är därför relevant att sjuksköterskeprogrammet lyfter fram behov av stöd för patienter med diabetes mellitus typ 2 redan i utbildningen. Blivande sjuksköterskor kan då överföra kunskapen till vårdverksamheten. För vidare forskning inom ämnet vore det intressant att fler studier i Sverige undersöker patienternas behov av stöd och hur de upplever att deras behov blir bemötta i dagens sjukvård. / There are 365 000 people in Sweden who suffer from diabetes mellitus type 2. The disease is caused by factors that are genetic or environmental. The disease occurs from insulin resistance in the cells of the muscle, liver or fat tissue. The disease can result in serious complications. The patient has a need for support from the healthcare professionals to be able to manage self-management and the life- style changes that are necessary. The patient can through empowerment take charge over the disease. The aim of this study was to define how patients who suffer from diabetes mellitus type 2 describe their need for support. The literature study consists of ten scientific articles, six qualitative, two quantitative and two articles that were both qualitative and quantitative. The result is presented as five themes: the patient’s need for information as support, the patient’s need for knowledge as support, the patient’s need for education as support, the patient’s need for social support, the patient’s need for support from healthcare professionals. The patients desired information from the healthcare professionals about self- monitoring of blood glucose, medications, diets and exercise to be able to perform self-management. Peer education was appreciated by patients, particularly with patients with the same disease and experience as their own. The support from the surroundings could strengthen patient’s quality of life. If the need for support from the healthcare professionals was experienced as adequate the disease seemed more manageable by the patients. Therefore it is relevant, already in the beginning of the nursing program, to emphasize the need for support with diabetes mellitus type 2. Registered nurses can then include the knowledge within the clinic. Further research within healthcare is recommended, especially studies within Sweden that investigate the patient’s need for support.

Bakgrund: Typ 2-diabetes ökar med hög omfattande över hela världen och är vanligast hos äldre men drabbar personer i allt yngre åldrar. Egenvård utgör en stor del av behandlingen av typ 2 diabetes och är därför en viktig faktor för att upprätthålla en god livskvalité. Bristande egenvård kan resultera i livshotande komplikationer. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka vilka svårigheter och möjligheter patienter med typ 2-diabetes upplever att de har för att kunna utföra egenvården själva. Vidare var syftet att redovisa hur data samlats in i de artiklar som används till litteraturstudien. Metod: En beskrivande litteraturstudie som har baserats på elva vetenskapliga artiklar mellan år 2010-2015. Samtliga artiklar fanns att finna i databaserna Cinahl, Pubmed och Scopus. Artiklarna var av kvalitativ ansats och granskades utefter syfte och frågeställningar. Resultat: Patienterna hade bristande kunskap om egenvården, vilket kunde bero på att informationen från sjuksköterskan inte var fullständig eller tillräcklig. Livsstilsförändringar ansåg patienterna som viktigt, ändå fanns en negativ inställning till förändrade vanor. Slutsats: Information och kunskap är avgörande för att bedriva en god egenvård då diabetes typ 2 är en krävande sjukdom för både patient och sjuksköterska. Patienterna såg livsstilsförändringar som en svår uppgift att utföra på egen hand, därför var sjuksköterskan en betydelsefull resurs för att uppnå behandlingsmålen. / Background: Type 2 diabetes has increased significantly worldwide and is most common with older people but affects people at younger and younger ages as well. Self-care constitutes a large part of the treatment of type 2 diabetes and is an important factor in maintaining a good quality of life. Lack of self-care can result in fatal complications. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the difficulties and possibilities of patients with type 2 diabetes and how they feel about managing their self-care. A further aim was to show how the data have been collected in the articles used in the literature study. Method: A descriptive literature study is based on eleven scientific articles published between the years 2010-2015. All the articles were found in databases Cinahl, Pubmed and Scopus. Articles of qualitative approach were examined along the purpose and research questions. Results: The patients had insufficient knowledge about self-care which could be due to the information from the nurse was incomplete or insufficient. The patients thought lifestyle changes was important, but still there was a big negative approach towards changing habits. Conclusion: Information and knowledge are essential to conducting effective self-care when type 2 diabetes is such a challenging disease for both the patient and the nurse. When the patients saw lifestyle changes difficult to accomplish on their own the nurse was an important resource to achieve treatment goals.