Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood to become too high. It can cause symptoms like excessive thirst, needing to pee a lot and tiredness, It can also increase your risk of getting serious problems with your eyes, heart and nerves. It’s a lifelong condition that can affect your everyday life, You may need to change your diet, take medicines and have regular check-ups. It’s caused by problems with a chemical in the body (hormone) called insulin, It’s often linked to being overweight or inactive, or having a family history of type 2 diabetes.
Page last reviewed: 18 August 2020 Next review due: 18 August 2023 : Type 2 diabetes
What happens when you have diabetes type 2?
What Causes Type 2 Diabetes? – Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that acts like a key to let blood sugar into the cells in your body for use as energy. If you have type 2 diabetes, cells don’t respond normally to insulin; this is called insulin resistance,
How do people get type 2 diabetes?
Overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity – You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are not physically active and are overweight or have obesity, Extra weight sometimes causes insulin resistance and is common in people with type 2 diabetes.
Can diabetic type 2 Go Away?
Overview – Type 2 diabetes is an impairment in the way the body regulates and uses sugar (glucose) as a fuel. This long-term (chronic) condition results in too much sugar circulating in the bloodstream. Eventually, high blood sugar levels can lead to disorders of the circulatory, nervous and immune systems.
In type 2 diabetes, there are primarily two interrelated problems at work. Your pancreas does not produce enough insulin — a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into your cells — and cells respond poorly to insulin and take in less sugar. Type 2 diabetes used to be known as adult-onset diabetes, but both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can begin during childhood and adulthood.
Type 2 is more common in older adults, but the increase in the number of children with obesity has led to more cases of type 2 diabetes in younger people. There’s no cure for type 2 diabetes, but losing weight, eating well and exercising can help you manage the disease.
Who usually has type 2 diabetes?
Who is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes? – You can develop type 2 diabetes at any age, even during childhood. However, type 2 diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people. You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are age 45 or older, have a family history of diabetes, or are overweight or have obesity,
Diabetes is more common in people who are African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander. Physical inactivity and certain health problems such as high blood pressure affect your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. You are also more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you have prediabetes or had gestational diabetes when you were pregnant.
Learn more about risk factors for type 2 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes occurs most often in middle-aged and older people.
Does type 2 diabetes get worse over time?
Medicines for type 2 diabetes – Type 2 diabetes is a progressive condition and usually gets worse over time. Making lifestyle changes, such as adjusting your diet and taking more exercise, may help you control your blood glucose levels at first, but may not be enough in the long term.