Diabetes is a disease which causes a high glucose level and can cause kidney failure - this develops in about 20% of all patients with diabetes

 

• Type 2 Diabetes: Manage Your Symptoms

• Type 2 Diabetes

• Diabetes Prevention (Type 2 Diabetes)

• Diagnosing Type  2 Diabetes

• Eating Well with Type 2 Diabetes

• Exercise Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes

• Diabetes and Foot Problems

 

What Is Type 2 Diabetes? Unlike people with type 1 diabetes, the bodies of people with type 2 diabetes make insulin. But either their pancreas does not make enough insulin or the body cannot use the insulin well enough. This is called insulin resistance. When there isn't enough insulin or the insulin is not used as it should be, glucose (sugar) can't get into the body's cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, the body's cells are not able to function properly.

 

Other problems associated with the buildup of glucose in the blood include:- Damage to the body: Over time, the high glucose levels in the blood can damage the nerves and small blood vessels of the eyes, kidneys, and heart and lead to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries that can cause heart attack and stroke.

 

Dehydration: The buildup of sugar in the blood can cause an increase in urination, causing dehydration.

 

Diabetic coma: When a person with type 2 diabetes becomes very ill or severely dehydrated and is not able to drink enough fluids to make up for the fluid losses, they may develop this life -threatening complication.

 

Type 2 Diabetes in Children: More and more children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Find out about type 2 diabetes symptoms in children, the diagnosis, and the treatment of type 2 diabetes in childhood. If your child is at risk for childhood diabetes, it’s important to learn specific self-care tips to help prevent diabetes.

 

Who Gets Type 2 Diabetes? Anyone can get type 2 diabetes. But those at highest risk for the disease are those who:-

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• Are over 45

• Are obese or overweight

• Have had gestational diabetes 

• Have family members who have type 2 diabetes

• Have prediabetes

• Don't exercise

• Have low HDL cholesterol or high triglycerides

• Have high blood pressure

• Are members of certain racial or ethnic groups

 

What Causes Type 2 Diabetes? Although it is more common than type 1 diabetes, the causes of type 2 diabetes are less well understood. It is likely caused by many things. Type 2 diabetes can run in families, but how it's inherited is not known.

 

What Are the Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes? Very often, people with type 2 diabetes will have no symptoms. When symptoms of type 2 diabetes happen, they vary from person to person and include:-

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• Increased thirst

• Increased hunger (especially after eating)

• Dry mouth

• Nausea and sometimes vomiting

• Increased urination

• Fatigue (weak, tired feeling)

• Blurred vision

• Numbness or tingling of the hands or feet

• Frequent infections of the skin, urinary tract, or vagina

• Sores that are slow to heal

• Rarely, a person may be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after falling into a diabetic coma.

 

How Is Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosed? To diagnose type 2 diabetes, your doctor will first check for abnormalities in your blood (high blood glucose level) during a random fasting blood test or through a screening test known as the 2-hour glucose tolerance test. Or you may get a blood test called a hemoglobin A1c that shows your average blood sugar for the past 2 to 3 months. Also, he or she may look for glucose or ketones in your urine.

 

Complications Associated With Type 2 Diabetes: If your type 2 diabetes isn't well controlled, there are a number of serious or life-threatening problems you may have, including:-

 

Retinopathy: People with type 2 diabetes may already have eye problems related to diabetes. Over time, more and more people who initially do not have eye problems related to the disease will develop some form of eye problem. It is important to control not only blood sugar but also blood pressure and cholesterol to prevent eye disease from getting worse. Fortunately, the eye problems aren't bad in most people.

 

Kidney damage: The risks of kidney disease gets worse over time, meaning the longer you have diabetes, the greater your risk. If not caught early, kidney damage can lead to kidney failure.

 

Poor blood circulation and nerve damage. Damage to the blood vessels can lead to a higher risk of stroke and heart attack as well as peripheral artery disease. Damage to nerves and hardening of the arteries leads to worse sensation and poor blood circulation in the feet. This can lead to more infections and a higher risk of skin ulcers, which significantly raise the risk of amputation. Damage to nerves may also lead to digestive problems, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

 

Complications

 

Type 2 Diabetes and Sleep: People who have diabetes often have poor sleep habits, including difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.

 

Diabetic Coma in Type 2 Diabetes: Diabetic coma -- also known as hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome -- is a serious complication that can happen to a person with diabetes who is ill or whose body is stressed.

 

Diabetes, Insulin Overdose, and Other Complications: Cold sweats, trembling hands, intense anxiety, a general sense of confusion -- no, it's not the night before final exams. These are the signs of low blood sugar or hypoglycemia.

 

Diabetes and Heart Disease: If you have diabetes, it's important to understand your heart disease risk and what you can do to lower it.

 

Stroke and Diabetes: If you have diabetes, it’s important to understand your increased risk of stroke.

 

Diabetes and Infection: Diabetes can slow down your body's ability to fight infection. High blood sugar (glucose) leads to high levels of sugar in your body's tissues, allowing bacteria to grow and infections to develop more quickly.

 

Diabetic Nephropathy: Diabetic nephropathy kidney disease that results from diabetes is the number one cause of kidney failure. Almost a third of people with diabetes develop diabetic nephropathy.

 

Diabetes and Inflammation: Inactivity and obesity increase the risk for diabetes, but exactly how is unclear. Recent research suggests that inflammation inside the body plays a role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

 

Chromium Picolinate is a crucial nutrient in the body's fight against diabetes. By using either brewer’s yeast stocked with chromium, or chromium chloride, diabetic patients may be able to improve glucose tolerance, lower their fasting glucose levels, decrease insulin levels and cut cholesterol and triglyceride levels, whilst increasing HDL-cholesterol levels. Supplementing with chromium may raise glucose tolerance in patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

 

What Is Type 1 Diabetes? Normally, the body's immune system fights off foreign invaders like viruses or bacteria. But for unknown reasons, in people with type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks various cells in the body.

 

Type 1 Diabetes Symptoms: Symptoms of type 1 diabetes usually develop quickly, over a few days to weeks, and are caused by blood sugar levels rising above the normal range (hyperglycemia). You can inherit a tendency to develop type 1 diabetes, but most people who have the disease have no family history

of it.

 

Type 1 Diabetes Exams and Tests: If a person is not in ketoacidosis, the American Diabetes Association's criteria for symptoms, a medical history, a physical exam, and blood tests are used to diagnose type 1 diabetes.

 

Type 1 Diabetes Treatment Overview: Type 1 diabetes requires lifelong treatment to keep blood sugar levels within a target range.

 

The Basics of a Healthy Diabetes Diet: Contrary to what you may have heard, there is no single "diabetes diet."

 

Types of Insulin for Diabetes Treatment: There are many forms of insulin to treat diabetes. They are classified by how fast they start to work and how long their effects last. 

 

Type 1 Diabetes Prevention: Currently there is no way to prevent type 1 diabetes, but ongoing studies are exploring ways to prevent diabetes in those who are most likely to develop it. Various supplements are useful for those individuals who suffer from diabetes.