Symptoms of type 2 diabetes can include:
It may also cause recurring infections. This is because elevated glucose levels make it harder for the body to heal.
Remember
Diabetes symptoms can be so mild that they’re hard to spot at first.
Causes of Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes stems from a combination of genetics and lifestyle factors. Being overweight or obese increases your risk too. Carrying extra weight, especially in your belly, makes your cells more resistant to the effects of insulin on your blood sugar.
This condition runs in families. Family members share genes that make them more likely to get type 2 diabetes and to be overweight.
Remember
Both genes and environmental factors play a role in triggering diabetes.
Diabetes risk factors
Certain factors increase your risk for diabetes. Your risk for type 2 diabetes increases if you:
Remember
Your family, environment, and preexisting medical conditions can all affect your odds of developing diabetes.
Diabetes Complications
High blood sugar damages organs and tissues throughout your body. The higher your blood sugar is and the longer you live with it, the greater your risk for complications.
Complications associated with diabetes include:
Treatment of diabetes
Doctors treat diabetes with a few different medications. Some of these drugs are taken by mouth, while others are available as injections.
Type 2 diabetes
Diet and exercise can help some people manage type 2 diabetes. If lifestyle changes aren’t enough to lower your blood sugar, you’ll need to take medication.
These drugs lower your blood sugar in a variety of ways:
| Types of drug | How they work | Example(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors | Slow your body’s breakdown of sugars and starchy foods | Acarbose (Precose) and miglitol (Glyset) |
| Biguanides | Reduce the amount of glucose your liver makes | Metformin (Glucophage) |
| DPP-4 inhibitors | Improve your blood sugar without making it drop too low | Linagliptin (Tradjenta), saxagliptin (Onglyza), and sitagliptin (Januvia) |
| Glucagon-like peptides | Change the way your body produces insulin | Dulaglutide (Trulicity), exenatide (Byetta), and liraglutide (Victoza) |
| Meglitinides | Stimulate your pancreas to release more insulin | Nateglinide (Starlix) and repaglinide (Prandin) |
| SGLT2 inhibitors | Release more glucose into the urine | Canagliflozin (Invokana) and dapagliflozin (Farxiga) |
| Sulfonylureas | Stimulate your pancreas to release more insulin | Glyburide (DiaBeta, Glynase),glipizide (Glucotrol), and glimepiride (Amaryl) |
| Thiazolidinediones | Help insulin work better | Pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone (Avandia) |
You may need to take more than one of these drugs. Some people with type 2 diabetes also take insulin.
Remember
The drug or combination of drugs that your doctor prescribes will depend on the type of diabetes you have — and its cause.
Diabetes and diet
Healthy eating is a central part of managing diabetes. In some cases, changing your diet may be enough to control the disease.
Type 2 diabetes
Eating the right types of foods can both control your blood sugar and help you lose any excess weight.
Carb counting is an important part of eating for type 2 diabetes. A dietitian can help you figure out how many grams of carbohydrates to eat at each meal.
In order to keep your blood sugar levels steady, try to eat small meals throughout the day. Emphasize healthy foods such as:
Certain other foods can undermine efforts to keep your blood sugar in control. Discover the foods you should avoid if you have diabetes.
Diabetes diagnosis
Anyone who has symptoms of diabetes or is at risk for the disease should be tested. Women are routinely tested for gestational diabetes during their second or third trimesters of pregnancy.
Doctors use these blood tests to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes:
Diabetes prevention
Some causes of type 2 diabetes, such as your genes or age, aren’t under your control either
Yet many other diabetes risk factors are controllable. Most diabetes prevention strategies involve making simple adjustments to your diet and fitness routine.
If you’ve been diagnosed with prediabetes, here are a few things you can do to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes:
These aren’t the only ways to prevent diabetes.
Diabetes in children
Children can get both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Controlling blood sugar is especially important in young people, because the disease can damage important organs such as the heart and kidneys.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes used to be called “juvenile diabetes” because type 2 was so rare in children. Now that more children are overweight or obese, type 2 diabetes is becoming more common in this age group.
About 40 percent of children with type 2 diabetes don’t have symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic. The disease is often diagnosed during a physical exam.
Untreated type 2 diabetes can cause lifelong complications, including heart disease, kidney disease, and blindness. Healthy eating and exercise can help your child manage their blood sugar and prevent these problems.
Type 2 diabetes is more prevalent than ever in young people.
Disclaimer
BahrainHealthMatters.com is for informative purposes only and not a substitute for professional in person expertise.
We advise that anyone having concerns about their health issues should consult their doctor asap.