Introduction > Classification > Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
1. Introduction and statistics
2. Stages of development
3. Causes
4. Kinds of type 2 diabetes
5. Symptoms
1. Introduction and statistics
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by progressive loss of insulin-secreting cell function, which started many years before the onset of symptomatic disease. If initially decreased insulin-secreting cell function is discrete and still might be able to compensate insulin resistance, with time, this capacity is gradually lost due to the progressive decline in insulin secretion from these cells.
Treatments used to maintain normal blood glucose level by different mechanisms, are not able to perform pancreatic cell regeneration and therefore the pancreatic insulin production gradually decline with time.
As time passes, β cell mass decreases to a point where they will not have how to secrete sufficient insulin and the introduction of insulin therapy will be required. The need for insulin usually occurs after decades of evolution of diabetes. Some people may need insulin therapy from diagnosis because they delayed their visit to the doctor as early diabetes does not hurt.
Do not hurt … initially … a few years … because repeated high blood sugar levels eventually lead to diabetes complications. It is therefore necessary to maintain blood glucose as close to normal as possible to prevent or delay diabetes complications.
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic widespread disease. It affects about 6% of the population over 20 years. It is estimated that in 2010 there were 285 million diabetes patients worldwide. Their number will increase by 50% over the next 20 years and will gradually approach the figure of 500 million.
About 85% of patients with type 2 diabetes are obese. Abdominal obesity means an abdominal circumference of ≥80 cm in women and ≥88 cm in men. It is the most important risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Other risk factors are age, sedentary lifestyle, regular consumption carbonated beverages or animal fat, food excesses of any kind, relatives with diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia (high blood fat), history of gestational diabetes or prediabet, insufficient sleep, polycystic ovaries syndrome, hypo or hyperthyroidism, environmental pollution, low birth weight (for children), birth of a child over 4 kg (for mother), use of prednisone-based drugs.
The risk of developing diabetes at any time during life is about 20%, but can increase significantly in the presence of above listed risk factors. Every year, one of 100 adults develops type 2 diabetes.
The risk of death in patients with type 2 diabetes is twice higher than the general population. The main killer is cardiovascular disease (60-70%), followed by cancer (15%).
