Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a disease, caused by metabolic anomalies, especially anomalies of the glucose management. It appears when the pancreas produces an insufficient amount of insulin or when the tissues do not assimilate it properly (resistance to insulin action). As a result, the blood sugar levels are too high and it can no longer be used to fuel the body with energy. If the levels remain high, there might be serious problems with the eyes, the heart, blood vessels, nerves and kidneys. Being overweight, lack of exercise and a family history of diabetes increase the risk of having type 2 diabetes.

In the first stage of the disease, the blood sugar levels are very slowly increasing, so the patient shows no symptoms. One third of the people who suffer from diabetes don’t know they actually suffer from it. When symptoms do appear, they suffer from thirst, polyuria (large volumes of urine), increased appetite, weight loss and fatigue. Other symptoms are numerous infections, slow healing of wounds, blurry vision, numbness in limbs, skin infections or of the urinary tract. Some patients who already suffer from serious chronic diseases are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Over time, more complications may appear. Signs of this happening are numbness, tingling, pain or swelling of either superior or inferior limbs (diabetic neuropathy), blurry, distorted vision, seeing light or dark spots, partial or total loss of sight, the feeling of “seeing through a veil” (diabetic retinopathy) and chest pain, breathing difficulty (these might be signs of cardiovascular problems).

Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in adults, who are often overweight and don’t exercise. But more and more children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, because of their unhealthy diets and lack of exercise.

Many people have prediabetes, which is an impaired glucose tolerance. This means blood sugar is very high, but not high enough for the patient to be diagnosed with diabetes.

Once type 2 diabetes is identified, an individual therapeutic plan must be developed. Treatments usually include an appropriate diet, an exercise program, losing weight, blood sugar monitoring and, if needed, medication. Cooperation with the doctor helps patients to keep control of the disease and prevent further complications. Blood sugar control is the most efficient method in preventing complications, especially cardiovascular complications, while suffering from type 2 diabetes. Most patients can normally go through their daily activities when they manage to control their blood sugar levels, with exercise, a proper diet and medication.