Type 2 Diabetes
What is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition where the body can't use blood sugar properly. This is much more common and different from type 1 diabetes, where the body makes little or no insulin. One of the main issues in type 2 diabetes involves insulin resistance. This means the body's cells don't respond well to insulin, which is a hormone that helps control blood sugar. In the initial years, the body may produce sufficient insulin to keep the blood sugars under control, however over time, the body might not be able to make enough insulin.
What are its Symptoms?
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:
- Feeling very thirsty and needing to urinate a lot
- Losing weight without trying
- Feeling very tired
- Blurred vision
- Cuts and sores that take a long time to heal
- Dark patches of skin, usually in the armpits and neck
But not everybody gets these symptoms. Some people may not get any symptoms if the sugar levels have been slowly increasing or until the sugar levels are very high. Hence, routine checkups for at risk individuals is important.
What are its Causes?
Type 2 diabetes can be caused by several things, such as:
- Genetics: It often runs in families. And in our population, risk is much higher than average European or African population
- Obesity: Extra weight, especially around the belly, can lead to insulin resistance
- Inactivity: Not getting enough exercise can cause weight gain and worsen insulin resistance
- Poor Diet: Consuming sugar-sweetened beverages (fruit juices, cold drinks) and excess sugary/carbohydrate rich and processed foods can increase the risk
- Age: The risk goes up as you get older, especially after 45
- Other Health Issues: Conditions like Gestational Diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are linked to a higher risk
What are the Common Treatment Options?
Treating type 2 diabetes usually involves lifestyle changes and medications. Common treatments include:
- Lifestyle Changes: These are recommended for everyone diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and involves eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and losing weight especially if someone is overweight or obese.
- Oral Medications: Because diabetes affects multiple organs, medicines which target different organs (liver, muscle, pancreas, kidney, intestines) are often required. Pills like metformin, sulfonylureas, and DPP-4 inhibitors help lower blood sugar.
- Insulin Therapy: Some people may need insulin injections if pills aren't enough especially if their pancreas are not producing enough insulin.
- Other Injectable Medications: Newer drugs like GLP-1 receptor agonists which are not insulin also help control blood sugar.
Some of these newer medicines like SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists have other benefits such as protecting kidney, heart, helping to loose weight
What is difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 1 Diabetes occurs in children, young adults more frequently than adults. Type 2 Diabetes while previously thought to occur only in adults is increasingly seen in children and young adults due to increased incidence of overweight/obesity in children. The pancreas produces little to no insulin in Type 1 Diabetes and hence the treatment is Insulin only, tablets do not work. The pancreas may produce little to too much insulin in Type 2 Diabetes and hence treatment consists of tablets and occasionally insulin.
Please visit the following links to get more information
https://www.healthshots.com/preventive-care/family-care/questions-about-new-diabetes-treatment/