Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that prevents your body from adequately utilising insulin.
The most susceptible age group for this kind of diabetes is middle-aged or older. Diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetes were the previous names for it. However, because of childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes affects children and adolescents.
The most prevalent kind of diabetes is type 2. Approximately one in ten Americans have type 2. Nearly one in three people have prediabetes, elevated blood sugar (or blood glucose), but not yet diabetes.
Diabetes Type 2 Symptoms
Type 2 diabetes symptoms might be so subtle that you don’t notice them. Approximately 9 million individuals have it yet are unaware of it. These signs include:
- I’m pretty thirsty.
- Urinating a lot
- Hazy vision
- Numbness or tingling in your hands or feet
- Fatigue or becoming exhausted
- Non-healing wounds
- Yeast infections that recur often
- Feeling peckish
- Loss of weight without effort
- Being infected
Consult your doctor if you experience dark rashes under your arms or around your neck. These are known as acanthosis nigricans, which may indicate that your body is developing insulin resistance.
Diabetes Subtypes
The three primary kinds of diabetes are as follows:
Diabetes type 2
Most diabetics (between 90% and 95%) have this kind. When you have type 2, your pancreas produces some insulin, a hormone that aids in converting glucose, a form of sugar, from your meals into energy in your cells. Insulin resistance is a situation whereby your cells don’t react to this hormone as they should.
Diabetes type 1
When you have type 1, your immune system assaults and kills the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin, which results in elevated blood sugar levels. Doctors don’t know why this occurs. Type 1 has nothing to do with weight or way of living. Diabetes in children or insulin-dependent diabetes were its previous names.
Pregnancy diabetes
This particular kind of diabetes can only occur during pregnancy. It appears due to hormonal changes and weight increase that might develop insulin resistance during pregnancy. After you have a baby, it often disappears.
Type 2 Diabetes Causes
Usually, several factors work together to develop type 2 diabetes symptoms. They might consist of:
Genes. Researchers have discovered specific DNA snippets that impact how your body produces insulin.
Weight. Obesity or carrying additional weight might result in insulin resistance.
The syndrome is metabolic. High blood sugar, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides are just a few symptoms that people with insulin resistance often experience.
Your liver produces too much glucose. When you have low blood sugar, your liver makes and releases glucose. Your blood sugar rises after eating; typically, your liver slows down and reserves its glucose for later. However, only some people’s livers do. They continue to produce sugar.
Cell-to-cell communication could be better. Cells sometimes broadcast incorrect signals or need to take up touches appropriately. Diabetes may result from issues that alter how your cells produce and use insulin or glucose.
They shattered beta cells. Your blood sugar levels fluctuate if the insulin-producing cells release the hormone at the incorrect moment. These cells may also get damaged by high blood sugar.
Diabetes Type 2 Risk Factors
Certain factors increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Your chances of receiving it are more significant when these apply to you. Several things have to do with who you are:
- Age. 45 or more
- Family. Diabetes is a parent, sibling, or brother.
- Ethnicity. American citizens who identify as African American, Alaska Native, Native American, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, or Pacific Islander
- Your health and medical history are risk factors, as well as:
- Insulin sensitivity
- Prediabetes
- Cardiovascular and vascular disease
- Even when it is treated and under control, high blood pressure
- Decrease in HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
- Elevated triglycerides
- Having obesity or being overweight
- Having a child that was heavier than 9 pounds
- Having gestational diabetes when pregnant
- PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)
- Depression
Your everyday routine and way of living might also increase your chances of developing diabetes. You may influence the following ones:
- Being inactive or not exercising
- Smoking
- Stress
- Either too little or too much sleep
Diabetes type 2 epidemiology
6.3% of the world’s population, or 462 million individuals, have type 2 diabetes. Over 1 million people die from it each year, making it the tenth most common cause of death. In wealthy nations like the U.S. and Western Europe, type 2 diabetes cases are rising more quickly.
According to researchers, type 2 diabetes strikes men and women at about the exact incidence.
It mainly affects those who are middle-aged and older and more frequently:
- 4,4 % of those aged 15 to 49
- 14% of those aged 50 to 69
- 22% of those aged 70 and above
Additionally, people of colour include persons with the following ancestry:
- Black
- Hispanic
- American Indian
- Asian
Tests and Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes
To check for type 2 diabetes symptoms in your blood, see your doctor. Typically, they will test you again to confirm the diagnosis. However, if your blood sugar is high or you have several symptoms, one test can be sufficient.
Type 2 diabetes blood tests include:
- A1c. It is an average of your blood glucose levels over the previous two or three months.
- Glucose in fasting plasma. A fasting blood sugar test is another name for this. It checks your blood sugar levels when you are fasting. Eight hours before the test, you won’t be allowed to eat or drink anything other than water.
- OGTT, or oral glucose tolerance test. This measures your blood sugar levels before and two hours after consuming sugary beverages to determine how your body processes the sugar.
Type 2 Diabetes Stages
Type 2 diabetes has four phases, according to researchers:
Insulin sensitivity
Your body typically produces enough insulin at this period to maintain normal blood sugar levels. Your body will produce more insulin to let the glucose enter your cells if they “resist” the insulin (do not utilise it properly). Insulin resistance may persist for a long time or be transient. It might be challenging to diagnose insulin resistance since there is no test to identify it.
Prediabetes
Eventually, glucose builds up in your blood due to insulin resistance. When your blood sugar levels are higher than usual but not high enough to be classified as diabetes, you have prediabetes. The A1c range of 5.7% to 6.4% indicates prediabetes. You could be symptom-free. However, prediabetes increases your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Diabetes type 2
You have diabetes if your A1c is 6.5% or greater. Increased thirst, blurry vision, and numbness in your hands or feet are a few signs you could experience. You could also be completely symptom-free.
Diabetic type 2 with vascular issues
Your diabetes has already resulted in vascular (blood vessel) issues. Your kidneys, eyes, and some of your nerves (retina, nephropathy, and neuropathy) may all have damaged blood vessels. Additionally, you might get circulation problems, a stroke, or heart disease.
Diabetes Type 2 Treatment
Medication and lifestyle modifications are used to manage type 2 diabetes.
Alterations in the way of life
With only food and exercise, you may be able to achieve your desired blood sugar levels.
Loss of weight. Losing additional weight may be beneficial. While decreasing 5% of your body weight is helpful, losing at least 7% of it and keeping it off appears optimal. In other words, a 180-pound person may lower their blood sugar levels by dropping around 13 pounds. Although portion management and eating nutritious meals are essential places to start, losing weight might feel daunting.
I am Eating right. Diabetes type 2 does not have a special diet. A licensed dietician can educate you about carbohydrates and assist you in creating a food plan that you can follow.
Think about:
- Cutting down on calories
- Reducing intake of processed carbohydrates, particularly sugars
- Including fruits and vegetables in your diet
- Increasing fibre
Exercise. Get between 30 and 60 minutes of exercise each day. You may exercise by walking, biking, swimming, or doing anything else that increases your heart rate. Add strength exercises to it, such as weightlifting or yoga. You may want a snack before working or exercising if you take medicine that decreases blood sugar.
Keep an eye on your blood sugar levels. Your doctor will advise you whether you should test your blood sugar levels and how often to do so, depending on your therapy, mainly if you are using insulin.