Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: All you Want to Know About Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
By: Kainat Zia
Tags: Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms, Type 2 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis, Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is also called Adult-onset or insulin resistance diabetes. This is a disease that is characterized by increase Glucose levels in the blood. About 1 in every 11th individual is affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus. This disease is considered as common metabolic syndromes that is present worldwide. Globally, the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus has been increased over the last three decades more often in developing countries.

What Causes Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus?

There are two problems which causes diabetes mellitus, these problems are as follow:

First, insulin is a hormone that is important for the movement of sugar in the cells so that sugar can be used as energy but in type 2 diabetes this hormone is not produced in adequate amount by the Pancreas (Beta cells of the pancreas produced insulin).

And second, cell responds badly to insulin and results in a decrease amount of sugar intake, as a result of which amount of glucose present in the blood increases and it causes diabetes.

Risk Factor for Type 2 Diabetes:

There are many risk factors that make the individual more prone to type 2 diabetes mellitus. Some of the risk factors are related to individual personality, some are related to medical history and some are related to living habits.

1. Personality Related Risk Factors:

1. Age: Individual with age 45 or more

2. Family history: Parent or any other blood relation having a history of diabetes

2. Medical History Related Risk Factors:

1. An Individual having cardiovascular disease.

2. Hypertensive Patient.

3. Overweight and Obese Individuals.

4. Women having Gestational diabetes.

5. Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

6. Depression.

7. Prediabetes.

3. Living Habits related Risk factors:

1. No Exercise

2. Stress

3.Smoking

4.Too much or less sleeping

Sign and symptoms:

An Individual having type 2 diabetes will experience the following signs and symptoms:

1. Increase Sweating

2. Frequent peeing or more urination

3. Feeling of Numbness and tingling in hands and feet

4. Weight loss

5. Increase Appetite

6. Increase thirst

7. Delayed wound healing

8. Increase weight loss

9. Always feeling tired/ Easily fatigued

10.Blurred Vision

12.Decreased immunity (Easily infected)

These are some of the signs and symptoms the person having diabetes type 2 will be experienced.

Diagnosis of type 2 diabetes:

When a person experiences above mentioned signs and symptoms he or she should go for the test that confirms the diagnosis of the disease.

The Following tests will be helpful for the diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes:

1.A1c Test:

This test is also called as Hemoglobin A1c test. It is a test which is used to get information about the sugar level of the past three months. This test helps to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes and is considered an important test for the management of diabetes.

Results of the A1c test are as follow:

1. For Normal individuals A1c level will be less than 5.7%.

2. For Prediabetic individual level will be between 5.7% to 6.4%.

3. For Diabetic the individual level will be 6.5% or more than 6.5%.

2. Fasting Plasma Glucose test:

Before this test, the patient is not allowed to eat or drink anything except water for about 7 to 8 hours. In this way, fasting blood sugar level is being checked. This test is done with an empty stomach, so before this test, the patient is instructed to avoid eating or drinking anything for about 8 hours.

Results of the Fasting Plasma Glucose test are as follow:

1. For Normal individual Glucose level is less than 100mg/dl.

2. For Prediabetic individuals Glucose level will be 100mg/dl to 125mg/dl.

3. For Diabetic Patients Glucose level will be 126mg/dl or higher.

3. Oral Glucose tolerance test (OGTT):

This test is also known as the Glucose tolerance test. This test is done in two phases during the first phase test is done before something sweet is given to the patient and during the second phase test is done after the two hours when the patient had something sweet. This test is done to find how the patient’s body handles the sugar.

The Results of the Oral Glucose test is as follow:

1. For normal individuals Glucose level of blood is less than 140mg/dl

2. For Prediabetic individuals Glucose level of blood will be between 140 to 199mg/dl

3. For Diabetic patients Glucose level of blood will be 200mg/dl or higher than 200mg/dl.

Life-Style modification:

Lifestyle modification can play important role in preventing complications as well as controlling type 2 diabetes mellitus. Lifestyle modifications are also advised to individuals who are at high risk of diabetes or who are recently diagnosed with diabetes. These lifestyle modifications include increasing physical activity, Encouraging Exercises, introducing nutritional changes, Reducing the modifiable risk factors like smoking, stress, depression, losing weight, etc. We will discuss Lifestyle modifications in detail here.

1. Increasing physical activity:

Different Physical activities with high and moderate intensities are recommended to the Patients of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus.

Moderate intensity Physical activity:

Walking on the plain floor.

Physical activity with High intensity:

Running

Football playing

Jogging

Rope Skipping

2. Nutritional Changes:

Nutritional Changes are important to prevent further complications caused by diabetes or to prevent the development of diabetes in a patient who is at high risk of developing diabetes in near future. The dietary changes which are advised by NICE are as follows.

Consumption of food containing High Fibers:

Beans

Lentils

Vegetables

Reducing fat intake:

Intake of food with a high amount of fat should be reduced. Avoid having Crisps, Junk food, Fast Food.

Portion Size:

By decreasing the portion of food also decreases the food calorie intake thus it may also prove as helpful in a diabetic patient.

3. Losing Weight:

For Obese or overweight individuals Guidelines for losing weight are provided from NICE,

BMI range which is considered healthy by NICE is:

From 18.5 to 24.9

OR for south Asian from 18.5 to 22.9

An individual with BMI more than the recommended range is advised to reduce the weight.

4. Decreasing stress:

An increase in stress results in increased blood pressure which results in high blood glucose levels.

So, by reducing the stress with different techniques such as Mindfulness, one can reduce the complications caused by diabetes.

Medical treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus:

Once the patient is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus with lifestyle modification it is necessary to gain medical treatment too. Following are some of the drugs used in Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Some of the drugs are oral while some patient takes insulin injections. Names of some oral drugs are as follow:

Januvia

Metformin

Below mentioned are complications of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus:

Complications due to type 2 diabetes mellitus can be microvascular or macrovascular. These complications are as follow:

Microvascular diseases:

In contrast to macrovascular disease, Microvascular disease involves the blood vessels which are finer or smaller in diameter, it also includes the capillaries. Following are some names and details of the microvascular disease.

1. Diabetic Neuropathy:

In diabetic neuropathy, nerve damage occurs due to diabetes. A patient may feel sensory or motor loss it depends on the type of nerve involvement. A patient may also increase the loss of sensation or may feel numbness tingling in the hands or feet depending on the location and type of nerve involvement.

2. Diabetic Nephropathy:

In diabetic nephropathy, kidney damage occurs due to diabetes mellitus.

Renal failure can may also results in a patient with chronic type 2 diabetes mellitus.

3. Diabetic Retinopathy:

Due to diabetes vision impairment can results as there is damage to the retina occurs. Blindness can also occur in severe cases.

Macrovascular Diseases:

A disease that involves the blood vessels with large diameter are called macrovascular diseases

1. Cardiovascular disease:

Due to diabetes mellitus, large blood vessels such as the aorta or other large vessels can damage it can result in Myocardial ischemia, Valvular heart disease, Rheumatic heart disease.

2. Cerebrovascular Disease:

Severe cases of diabetes mellitus can result in damage to blood vessels supplying the brain it can result in stroke and many other vascular diseases of the brain.

Note:

Above mentioned, are the general details about diabetes mellitus. If you experience any of the signs and symptoms related to disease or any complications related to disease, seek advice from your doctor.