Type 2 diabetes is the most common of the three major types and accounts for between 85 – 95% of all people with diabetes. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly.
Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in blood. Over time, having too much glucose in blood can cause serious problems. It can damage eyes, kidneys, and nerves. Diabetes can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb.
Type 2 diabetes is usually first treated by increasing physical activity, decreasing carbohydrate intake, and losing weight. These can restore insulin sensitivity even when the weight loss is modest, for example around 5 kg (10 to 15 lb), most especially when it is in abdominal fat deposits.
It is sometimes possible to achieve long-term, satisfactory glucose control with these measures alone. However, the underlying tendency to insulin resistance is not lost, and so attention to diet, exercise, and weight loss must continue. The usual next step, if necessary, is treatment with oral antidiabetic drugs.
Insulin production is initially only moderately impaired in type 2 diabetes, so oral medication (often used in various combinations) can be used to improve insulin production (e.g. sulfonylureas), to regulate inappropriate release of glucose by the liver and attenuate insulin resistance to some extent (e.g. metformin), and to substantially attenuate insulin resistance (e.g.thiazolidinediones).
According to one study, overweight patients treated with metformin compared with diet alone, had relative risk reductions of 32% for any diabetes endpoint, 42% for diabetes related death and 36% for all cause mortality and stroke. Oral medication may eventually fail due to further impairment of beta cell insulin secretion. At this point, insulin therapy is necessary to maintain normal or near normal glucose levels.
Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms :
People with type 2 diabetes may :
* cuts or bruises that heal slowly
* a lot of infections
* skin, gum, or bladder infections that keep coming back
* tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
* urinate often
* be very thirsty
* be very hungry
* be very tired
* lose a lot of weight
* have blurred vision
* be irritable
* have trouble seeing
The following resources may help you: