Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Description
Type 2 diabetes is a serious chronic condition, and it is the most prevalent type of diabetes. It occurs when your blood glucose (blood sugar) is too high. The main energy source is blood glucose, which comes mainly from the food you eat. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas and helps glucose get into your cells to be used for energy. In type 2 diabetes, your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin, or your body doesn’t use insulin well. Too much glucose then stays in your blood, and not enough reaches your cells. The majority of people with type 2 diabetes are over the age of 45, but it is also more common in kids, teenagers, and young adults. Type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1 and represents up to 95% of all diabetes cases. Diabetes is a significant contributor to kidney failure, heart attacks, strokes, blindness, and lower limb amputation. Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed by maintaining a healthy diet, engaging in regular physical activity, maintaining normal body weight, and avoiding tobacco use.
Symptoms
Type 2 diabetes symptoms frequently appear gradually over many years and may go unnoticed for a long period (in certain cases, there may be no symptoms at all). Because symptoms can be difficult to identify, it's crucial to be aware of the risk factors and visit your doctor if you have any of them to have your blood sugar checked.
- Increased thirst and urination
- Unexplained weight loss
- Very hungry
- Blurry vision
- Numbness of hands or feet
- Feeling very tired
- Very dry skin
- Sores that heal slowly
- More infections than usual
If you experience any of these symptoms, visit a General Practitioner (General Practice doctor), who might refer you to a Diabetes and Endocrinology doctor, for proper diagnosis and treatment to prevent further complications.
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View MoreCauses
When the pancreas produces less insulin than the body requires and the body cells stop responding to insulin, type 2 diabetes occurs. They do not consume sugar as they should. Your blood sugar increases over time. Insulin resistance is the inability of cells to respond to insulin. It is typically brought on by:
- Lifestyle factors, such as being overweight and physical inactivity.
- Abnormal genes that affect the way how the body cells work.
Diagnostics
Your general practitioner will request one or more of the following blood tests if he suspects that you may have type 2 diabetes:
- Fasting plasma glucose test: this test is done after being fasted for 8 hours at least. A reading of 100 to 125mg/dL indicates that you are prediabetic and 126 mg/dL or above indicates that you’re diabetic.
- Random plasma glucose test: this test is done at any time without fasting. A level of 200 mg/dL or above indicates that you’re diabetic.
- Glycolated hemoglobin test (HbA1C): this test measures the mean blood sugar level over three months. If the A1C is 5.7% to 6.4%, you’re prediabetic and if the A1C is ≥ 6.5%, you’re diabetic.
- Other tests: your doctor may ask for more tests to evaluate your overall health and to check if you have any complications.
Treatment
Adding to the endocrinologist (a healthcare provider who specializes in treating hormone-related disorders and diabetes), patients with type 1 diabetes may need support from:
- Podiatrist (foot doctor)
- Ophthalmologist (eye doctor)
- Dentist
- Nutritionist
Healthy habits and regular check-ups are crucial to managing your type 1 diabetes:
- Following a healthy diet
- Being physically active
- Controlling the blood pressure
- Controlling the cholesterol level
- Getting enough sleep
- Doing regular blood glucose checks
- Keeping your blood glucose levels close to the target helps prevent or delay the complications
- Doing an annual eye exam by an eye specialist
Along with diet and exercise, some patients take medications to manage their diabetes. Oral diabetes medications may be suggested by your doctor. These are oral medications in the form of pills or liquids. There are several types of oral medications that act differently to manage blood glucose levels, for example, metformin, acarbose, miglitol, colesevelam, bromocriptine, alogliptin, linagliptin, saxagliptin, sitagliptin, nateglinide, repaglinide, canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, glimepiride, glipizide, glyburide, rosiglitazone, pioglitazone. You can also take insulin to improve how effectively your body uses sugar.
