Live Life Team
Insulin hormone produced by the pancreas helps control the blood glucose levels. In type 2 diabetes, either the insulin is not adequately produced or is not effectively used by body cells to move the glucose out from the bloodstream or it could be a combination of both that causes blood glucose levels to rise and cause this condition.
The exact cause of diabetes type 2 is not fully understood, however, the presence of certain factors, listed below, increase risks of getting this condition:
Excess body fat – overweight and obese people are in the high risk category, as their body cells are less responsive to insulin. 80% of people with type 2 diabetes are obese, have minimal exercise and have a large waist. Women with waist size of 80cm or over and men with 90cm or over are under high risk.
Certain ethnicities are at a higher risk, including African-Caribbean and south Asian
Risks also go up with age as the exercise levels go down. Mostly people over 40years develop this condition, however, it could appear as early as 7years in certain rare cases
Genetic factors.
The diabetes risk also goes up with the below conditions
High blood pressure or high cholesterol
Having had a heart-attack or stroke
Gestational diabetes during pregnancy
Woman who has given birth to a large baby (above 4kg / 9lb)
Woman with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCO) and is overweight / obese.
Impaired fasting glycaemia or impaired glucose tolerance, these are pre-diabetic conditions which can develop into type2 diabetes if proper preventions are not taken.
Diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes
Early diagnosis of the condition is important to start treatment accordingly. If one feels the symptoms exist, GP should be consulted.
The condition can be detected in urine and blood samples. In diabetes affected people, urine samples show existence of glucose. A positive urine test for glucose is followed by blood testing to confirm diagnosis. Blood samples are taken in fasting state, if these samples do not show high glucose levels, GP would advise a GTT (glucose tolerance test), wherein the blood is tested after taking a glucose drink, after every half an hour for 2 hours to see body’s reaction to glucose intake. If tests are positive, further blood and urine tests are done to determine the type of diabetes. There is no specific test for type 2 diabetes, however, you would have to rule out the presence of Type 1 diabetes in the form of antibodies in blood which attack the insulin producing cells or acids in urine to determine that you have type 2 diabetes.
Complications
If left untreated, diabetes can lead to damaged blood vessels, nerves and organs which further causes health problems at a larger scale. As also explained in type 1 diabetes article, one should watch out for below
Heart disease and stroke
Nerve damage
Retinopathy
Kidney diseases
Foot problems
Impotence in men (erectile dysfunction)
Miscarriage and stillbirth
Prevention
Controlling the below risk factors brings down a person’s chances of getting type 2 diabetes.
Lose weight to maintain waist size within 80cm for women and within 90cm for men
Have an exercise regime of at least 30minutes , 5 days a week.
Eliminate smoking and drink alcohol in moderation
Maintain blood pressure and cholesterol under safe limits
