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Everything you need to know about type 2 diabetes

Diabetes numbers are on the rise in the U.S. But smart prevention strategies can help keep the epidemic at bay.

Updated on May 13, 2022

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More than 37 million Americans have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes as of 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s more than six times the number of people who had diabetes in 1980. Additionally, almost one in four U.S. adults who is living with diabetes does not know that they have it

Diabetes is a serious condition that canShow More

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Type 1 versus Type 2

Our bodies use glucose, a form of sugar, for energy. It’s absorbed into the bloodstream as the digestive system breaks down the food we eat. The pancreas makes a hormone called insulin, which allows the sugar to go from the bloodstream into the cells of your body, such as those in your muscles andShow More

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Type 2 diabetes progression

Type 2 diabetes starts with insulin resistance, when your body can’t use insulin as efficiently as it once could to bring glucose into your cells. Glucose starts to build up in the bloodstream and the pancreas tries to keep up by making more insulin.

As long as the pancreas can meet the demand forShow More

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Risk factors

 

Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:

  • Being 45 years of age or older
  • Being of African American, Native American, Alaska Native, Asian American, Latino/Hispanic, or Pacific Island descent
  • Being overweight, as indicated by a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or greater—unless you’re Asian
  • Show More
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Symptoms

Diabetes goes undiagnosed in nearly one-quarter of people who have it because symptoms can be subtle and easy to miss. Common signs and symptoms include:

  • Frequent urination
  • Abnormal hunger or thirst
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Slow-to-heal cuts and bruises
  • Blurry vision
  • Tingling, pain, or numbness
  • Show More
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Diagnosis and testing

Diabetes is diagnosed with a blood test. The most commonly used tests are the A1C test, the fasting blood sugar test, the glucose tolerance test, and the random blood sugar test.

Once you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, your healthcare provider (HCP) may ask you to monitor your blood sugar at homeShow More

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Complications

 

Heart disease is a common complication among people with diabetes. The CDC has estimated that 69 percent of adults with diabetes also have high blood pressure and 44 percent have high LDL (aka “bad” cholesterol). People with diabetes die from cardiovascular problems more often thanShow More

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Medication

Type 2 diabetes was once thought to be irreversible, though recent studies have shown that weight loss may help some people with type 2 diabetes go into remission.

The condition can be managed with lifestyle changes and medication when needed. Sometimes, blood sugar levels can be controlledShow More

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Prevention and management tips

Keeping weight down is one of the most important ways to manage diabetes. Exercise not only helps maintain a healthy weight, but it can help control your blood glucose, too. When you’re active, your cells can use insulin more effectively. Your muscles also pull glucose out of the blood to use forShow More

Slideshow sources open slideshow sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report. Last reviewed January 18, 2022.
Prevalence and Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus-- United States, 1980-1987. MMWR. November 16, 1990. 39(45);809-812.
Taylor R, Ramachandran A, Yancy WS, et al. Nutritional basis of type 2 diabetes remission. BMJ. 2021;374:n1752. Published 2021 Jul 9.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What is Diabetes? Last reviewed December 16, 2021.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Risk Factors for Diabetes-Related Complications. Last reviewed December 29, 2021.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes and Asian American People. Page last reviewed: April 25, 2022.
Sun D, Zhou T, Heianza Y, et al. Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Circ Res. 2019;124(6):930-937.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Risk Factors for Diabetes-Related Complications. Page last reviewed: December 29, 2021.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physical activity. Adults. Last reviewed March 17, 2022.
Aronson D, Edelman ER. Coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus. Cardiol Clin. 2014;32(3):439-455.
Herman WH, Teutsch SM, Sepe SJ, Sinnock P, Klein R. An approach to the prevention of blindness in diabetes. Diabetes Care. 1983;6(6):608-613.
Walicka M, Raczyńska M, Marcinkowska K, et al. Amputations of Lower Limb in Subjects with Diabetes Mellitus: Reasons and 30-Day Mortality. J Diabetes Res. 2021;2021:8866126. Published 2021 Jul 24.

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