Insulin And Type 2 Diabetes: What You Should Know
Insulin and Type 2 Diabetes If your health care provider offered you a medication to help you feel better and get your blood sugar under control, would you try it? If so, you might be ready to start taking insulin. Does insulin immediately make you think of type 1 diabetes? Think again. Between 30 and 40 percent of people with type 2 diabetes take insulin. In fact, there are more people with type 2 diabetes who take insulin than type 1 because of the much larger number of people with type 2. Experts believe even more people with type 2 should be taking insulin to control blood sugar -- and the earlier, the better. With an increase in people developing type 2 at a younger age and living longer, more and more people with type 2 will likely be taking insulin. "If you live long enough with type 2 diabetes, odds are good you'll eventually need insulin," says William Polonsky, Ph.D., CDE, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego; founder and president of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute; and author of Diabetes Burnout: What to Do When You Can't Take It Anymore (American Diabetes Association, 1999). Producing Less Insulin Naturally Over Time Research has shown that type 2 diabetes progresses as the ability of the body’s pancreatic beta cells to produce insulin dwindles over time. Your beta cells -- the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin -- slowly lose function. Experts believe that by the time you're diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you've already lost 50-80 percent of your beta cell function and perhaps the number of beta cells you had. And the loss continues over the years. "About six years after being diagnosed, most people have about a quarter of their beta cell function left," says Anthony McCall, M.D., Ph.D., endocri Continue reading >>
Can You Have Low Blood Sugar With Type 2 Diabetes?
back to Overview Know-how Type 2 A tag-team approach on low blood sugar with type 2 diabetes. Markus recently wrote an article on our German language blog talking about low blood sugar with type 2 diabetes. The question (“can I have low blood sugar with type 2 diabetes?”) is very common, and it’s easy to see why it’s of concern. So I’ve helped Markus bring his German post to life here in English. I hope it helps! Here’s Markus: Low blood sugar In 2014, results from the DAWN2 study were announced. It was the largest study of its kind (15,000 participants) on the “fears & needs of people with diabetes and their families.” One result stood out: The gravest fears are related to low blood sugars, especially at night. Up to 69% of the participants share this fear! So! Can you have low blood sugar with type 2 diabetes? Yes! Of course! But let’s think about who exactly is at risk – and why. It’s common to think: Type 1 diabetes = at risk for lows Type 2 diabetes = not at risk for lows But that isn’t correct at all, so we should wipe it from our mind. So… what do I need to know? Maybe it’s more accurate to say that people with type 2 diabetes who take certain types of medication are more at risk for lows. We’re getting closer! But to get to the truth, we should take a look at someone without diabetes. Is it possible for them to have lows, too? Theoretically yes, especially if doing long-lasting physical activities without proper food intake. Additionally, extreme stress and binge drinking are also common causes of low blood sugar for people without diabetes. However, it’s pretty rare because as soon as BG’s drop below 80 mg/dl (4.4 mmol/L), the natural counterregulatory system kicks in, raising blood sugar back to normal levels. I’ve never exp Continue reading >>
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes (previously called insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes) is usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults, but it can develop at any age. If you have type 1 diabetes, your pancreas isn’t making insulin or is making very little. Insulin is a hormone that enables blood sugar to enter the cells in your body where it can be used for energy. Without insulin, blood sugar can’t get into cells and builds up in the bloodstream. High blood sugar is damaging to the body and causes many of the symptoms and complications of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2—about 5% of people with diabetes have type 1. Currently, no one knows how to prevent type 1 diabetes, but it can be managed by following your doctor’s recommendations for living a healthy lifestyle, controlling your blood sugar, getting regular health checkups, and getting diabetes self-management education. Shakiness Nervousness or anxiety Sweating, chills, or clamminess Irritability or impatience Dizziness and difficulty concentrating Hunger or nausea Blurred vision Weakness or fatigue Anger, stubbornness, or sadness If your child has type 1 diabetes, you’ll be involved in diabetes care on a day-to-day basis, from serving healthy foods to giving insulin injections to watching for and treating hypoglycemia (low blood sugar; see below). You’ll also need to stay in close contact with your child’s health care team; they will help you understand the treatment plan and how to help your child stay healthy. Much of the information that follows applies to children as well as adults, and you can also click here for comprehensive information about managing your child’s type 1 diabetes. Causes Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune reaction (the body attacks itself by mistak Continue reading >>
Symptoms, Diagnosis & Monitoring Of Diabetes
According to the latest American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics, about 8 million people 18 years and older in the United States have type 2 diabetes and do not know it. Often type 1 diabetes remains undiagnosed until symptoms become severe and hospitalization is required. Left untreated, diabetes can cause a number of health complications. That's why it's so important to both know what warning signs to look for and to see a health care provider regularly for routine wellness screenings. Symptoms In incidences of prediabetes, there are no symptoms. People may not be aware that they have type 1 or type 2 diabetes because they have no symptoms or because the symptoms are so mild that they go unnoticed for quite some time. However, some individuals do experience warning signs, so it's important to be familiar with them. Prediabetes Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes No symptoms Increased or extreme thirst Increased thirst Increased appetite Increased appetite Increased fatigue Fatigue Increased or frequent urination Increased urination, especially at night Unusual weight loss Weight loss Blurred vision Blurred vision Fruity odor or breath Sores that do not heal In some cases, no symptoms In some cases, no symptoms If you have any of these symptoms, see your health care provider right away. Diabetes can only be diagnosed by your healthcare provider. Who should be tested for prediabetes and diabetes? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that you should be tested if you are: If your blood glucose levels are in normal range, testing should be done about every three years. If you have prediabetes, you should be checked for diabetes every one to two years after diagnosis. Tests for Diagnosing Prediabetes and Diabetes There are three ty Continue reading >>
Early Symptoms Of Diabetes
What are the symptoms of diabetes? Although the signs of diabetes can begin to show early, sometimes it takes a person a while to recognize the symptoms. This often makes it seem like signs and symptoms of diabetes appear suddenly. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to your body, rather than simply brushing them off. To that end, here are some type 1 and type 2 diabetes symptoms that you may want to watch out for: If you’re experiencing frequent urination your body might be telling you that your kidneys are trying to expel excess sugar in your blood. The resulting dehydration may then cause extreme thirst. Along the same lines, the lack of available fluids may also give you dry mouth and itchy skin. If you experience increased hunger or unexpected weight loss it could be because your body isn’t able to get adequate energy from the food you eat. High blood sugar levels can affect blood flow and cause nerve damage, which makes healing difficult. So having slow-healing cuts/sores is also a potential sign of diabetes. Yeast infections may occur in men and women who have diabetes as a result of yeast feeding on glucose. Other signs of diabetes Pay attention if you find yourself feeling drowsy or lethargic; pain or numbness in your extremities; vision changes; fruity or sweet-smelling breath which is one of the symptoms of high ketones; and experiencing nausea or vomiting—as these are additional signs that something is not right. If there’s any question, see your doctor immediately to ensure that your blood sugar levels are safe and rule out diabetes. So what are the low blood sugar symptoms you should look out for? It’s important to realize that the signs of… Polyuria occurs when your body urinates more frequently—and often in larger amounts—than Continue reading >>
How Your Doctor Tests For Type 1 Or Type 2 Diabetes
To treat diabetes correctly, you and your healthcare provider need to know if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. While type 1 diabetes is developed from an autoimmune process that destroys insulin producing cells, type 2 diabetes is generally due to insulin resistance, the body's inability to use insulin effectively. Your healthcare provider can determine which type of diabetes you have based on several different tests that detect certain antibodies. Autoantibody tests There are four common autoantibody tests used to distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes: Islet Cell Cytoplasmic Autoantibodies (ICA) Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase Autoantibodies (GADA) Isulinoma-Associated-2 Autoantibodies (IA-2A) Insulin Autoantibodies (IAA) If you test positive for either ICA, GADA, and/or IA-2A, this is an indication of type 1 diabetes. These autoantibodies are detected in around 95 percent of people with new-onset type 1 diabetes. Children develop different autoantibodies and instead are tested for IAA. If you test negative for all of these diabetes-related autoantibodies, then it is unlikely that you have type 1 diabetes and most likely will be diagnosed as type 2. Why would you get tested? When you are first diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor may order a combination of these autoantibody tests to determine whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. They may also order the tests if you were previously diagnosed with type 2 but have a difficult time controlling glucose levels with standard treatments. For more on testing and diabetes: Prediabetes: Tests and Diagnosis Can a Blood Test Predict Type 2 Diabetes? 10 Tests That All Diabetics Should Know About Continue reading >>
What Is The Best Way To Distinguish Type 1 And 2 Diabetes?
Onset of diabetes in childhood with ketoacidosis and insulin dependency has traditionally been sufficient to diagnose type 1 diabetes, while onset in older, obese patients with primary insulin resistance suggested type 2 diabetes. Unfortunately, features of type 1 and type 2 diabetes may be present in the same patient, making differentiation difficult. No diagnostic studies in the literature were identified that definitively demonstrate how to separate type 1 from type 2 diabetes. A patient’s age may suggest, but does not reliably distinguish, diabetes types. A study of 569 new-onset type 1 and type 2 diabetic children and adolescents showed that older age was only weakly associated with type 2 diagnosis (odds ratio [OR]= 1.4 for each 1-year increment in age; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3–1.6).2 In fact, newly diagnosed 12-year-old children have an equal incidence of type 1 as type 2 diabetes. Likewise, adults with type 2 phenotype (no initial insulin requirement) can present with positive autoantibodies typically found in younger type 1 patients. Older patients who fit this profile have been classified as type 1.5 diabetes or latent autoimmune disease in adults (LADA).3 A history of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) also does not reliably distinguish between types 1 and 2. A retrospective chart review gathered data on adults over 18 years of age who were admitted for DKA in a urban US hospital. Many patients with DKA were subsequently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Rates of type 2 diabetes in patients with DKA varied by race: 47% of Hispanics, 44% of African Americans, and 17% of Caucasians had type 2 diabetes.4 The overlapping presence of autoantibodies in both types of diabetes limits their use (TABLE). Autoantibodies do predict an earlier need for insulin. One pr Continue reading >>
Type 1 Diabetes
Print Diagnosis Diagnostic tests include: Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test. This blood test indicates your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. It measures the percentage of blood sugar attached to the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells (hemoglobin). The higher your blood sugar levels, the more hemoglobin you'll have with sugar attached. An A1C level of 6.5 percent or higher on two separate tests indicates diabetes. If the A1C test isn't available, or if you have certain conditions that can make the A1C test inaccurate — such as pregnancy or an uncommon form of hemoglobin (hemoglobin variant) — your doctor may use these tests: Random blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken at a random time and may be confirmed by repeat testing. Blood sugar values are expressed in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or millimoles per liter (mmol/L). Regardless of when you last ate, a random blood sugar level of 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) or higher suggests diabetes, especially when coupled with any of the signs and symptoms of diabetes, such as frequent urination and extreme thirst. Fasting blood sugar test. A blood sample will be taken after an overnight fast. A fasting blood sugar level less than 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) is normal. A fasting blood sugar level from 100 to 125 mg/dL (5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L) is considered prediabetes. If it's 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L) or higher on two separate tests, you have diabetes. If you're diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor may also run blood tests to check for autoantibodies that are common in type 1 diabetes. These tests help your doctor distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes when the diagnosis is uncertain. The presence of ketones — byproducts from the breakdown of fat — in your urine also suggests type 1 diab Continue reading >>
5 Ways Type 1 Diabetes Is Different From Type 2
When people hear that you have diabetes, they start to make assumptions that aren't always accurate. A lot of the confusion stems from the fact that there are two main types, yet many people don't understand how they're different. (Want to pick up some healthier habits? Sign up to get daily healthy living tips delivered straight to your inbox!) As someone with type 1 diabetes—I was diagnosed with it nearly 40 years ago—I'm all too familiar with the disease. I lived with it as a child, teen, and adult, and when I decided to have kids I had to figure out how to manage the condition while being pregnant. (I even wrote a book about it, Balancing Pregnancy With Pre-Existing Diabetes: Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby.) Having type 1 diabetes means I'm in the minority: Of the approximately 29 million Americans who have diabetes, only 1.25 million have type 1. Most have type 2, which is a totally different form. "Comparing type 1 to type 2 is like comparing apples to tractors," says Gary Scheiner, a Pennsylvania-based certified diabetes educator and author of Think Like a Pancreas. "The only thing they really have in common is that both involve an inability to control blood sugar levels." Here are 5 important distinctions. 1. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease; type 2 isn't. Diabetes happens when your body has trouble with insulin, a hormone that helps convert sugar from the food you eat into energy. When there isn’t enough insulin in your body, sugar builds up in the bloodstream and can make you sick. People with type 1 and type 2 both face this problem, but how they arrived there is quite different. If you have type 1, you don't make any insulin at all. That's because type 1 is an autoimmune disease in which your immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-making cells in your Continue reading >>
Do I Have Diabetes? Know The Warning Signs
Diabetes is a serious, yet common medical condition. If you have diabetes, you need to manage your blood sugars and regularly monitor them to be sure they are within their target range. There are a few types of diabetes, though the main two types are type 1 and type 2 diabetes. They differ due to the cause. You may have sudden symptoms of diabetes, or a diagnosis may surprise you because the symptoms have been gradual over many months or years. Diabetes symptoms may occur over time or they may appear quickly. The various types of diabetes may have similar or different warning signs. Some general warning signs of diabetes are: Other warning signs of type 1 Type 1 diabetes is generally diagnosed in children and young adults, though it can occur at any age. A child may experience these additional symptoms: sudden, unintentional weight loss wetting the bed after a history of being dry at night a yeast infection in a prepubescent girl flu-like symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, breath that smells like fruit, problems breathing, and loss of consciousness Flu-like symptoms are caused when undiagnosed diabetes causes ketones to build up in the bloodstream. This condition is called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). DKA is a medical emergency and requires immediate medical treatment. Learn more: Diabetic ketoacidosis » Other warning signs of type 2 You may not notice sudden symptoms of type 2 diabetes, but the warning signs listed above may alert you to an underlying condition. You may be diagnosed with diabetes because you go to the doctor for: persistent infections or a slow-healing wound complications that are associated with prolonged high blood sugar levels, such as numbness or tingling in your feet heart problems You may never experience obvious warning signs at all. Diabete Continue reading >>
Diabetes Type 1 And Type 2: How To Tell The Difference
The number of people living with diabetes in the UK has tipped over the 4 million mark for the first time, according to 2016 figures released by Diabetes UK. [Read more: Could you have diabetes? 5 hidden symptoms of diabetes that could mean you're suffering] But the good news is that because most of the 59.8% increase in diagnosis is in type 2 diabetes cases, simple diet and lifestyle changes can help reverse the trend. Diabetes UK says there are now a total of 3.6 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK, compared to nearly 2.1 million in 2005. However, many cases are type 2 diabetes, which is the form often linked to diet and obesity. And that means for some people, a diabetes-healthy lifestyle can control the illness, which is thought to be on the rise because of increasing obesity levels. Such a lifestyle includes losing weight if you're overweight, eating a healthy diet including lots of fruit and vegetables, and exercising. These measures can help reduce blood-sugar levels, and either reduce or even stop any diabetes symptoms. And while some people with type 2 diabetes need to take medication, making these healthy diet and lifestyle choices can mean they don't need to take their tablets any more. People with type 1 diabetes, however, will always need insulin injections. What's the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes? While both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are characterised by having higher than normal blood-sugar levels, the cause and development of the conditions are different. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that means sufferers are unable to produce the hormone insulin, which helps the body use glucose in the blood to produce energy. The immune system attacks insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, and people with type 1 diabetes Continue reading >>
What Type Of Diabetes Do You Have?
Is it really important to know which type of diabetes you have? Yes, and here is one reason: At least one in ten people who have been diagnosed with Type 2 actually have something called LADA, or latent autoimmune diabetes of adults. Some doctors are calling LADA Type 1.5 diabetes because it has features of both Type 1 and Type 2. LADA was uncovered in the 1970s when researchers were using a blood test to find proteins known as autoantibodies in people with Type 1 diabetes. The presence of these autoantibodies indicated that the body’s immune system had begun to attack the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Most people with Type 2 diabetes have none of these autoantibodies. Why? Because with Type 2, our bodies are becoming resistant to insulin, not actively destroying the beta cells. Our insulin-making cells do gradually wear out after many years, even decades, but we will still make some insulin. This is the reason we try to lower our insulin resistance with exercise and healthy eating. It is also why oral medications are helpful in Type 2 diabetes. They may either lower our resistance to insulin or encourage more insulin production. More than half of us with the condition never need insulin injections at all. But in Type 1 diabetes, the beta cells are destroyed permanently. This is a swift and potentially dangerous change, and the person needs to be put on insulin immediately. For a long time, Type 1 was called juvenile diabetes and Type 2 was called adult-onset diabetes to distinguish them. Then LADA was discovered in adults. For some unknown reason the T cells (specialized cells from the body’s immune system) of people with LADA started to attack their beta cells, destroying them a little at a time. This process may take years, but the result is diabe Continue reading >>
Differences Between Type 1 And Type 2
Tweet Whilst both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are characterised by having higher than normal blood sugar levels, the cause and development of the conditions are different. Confused over which type of diabetes you have? It's not always clear what type of diabetes someone has, despite what many people think. For instance, the typical assumption is that people with type 2 diabetes will be overweight and not inject insulin, while people with type 1 diabetes will be, if anything, underweight. But these perceptions just aren't always true. Around 20% of people with type 2 diabetes are of a healthy weight when diagnosed, and many of them are dependent on insulin. Similarly, people with type 1 diabetes will in some cases be overweight. Because both types of diabetes can be so varied and unpredictable, it's often difficult to know which type of diabetes someone has. It's not safe to assume that an overweight person with high blood glucose levels has type 2 diabetes, because the cause of their condition might in fact be attributable to type 1. In some cases, when the type of diabetes is in doubt, your health team may need to carry out specialised tests to work out which type of diabetes you have. This way, they can recommend the most appropriate treatment for your diabetes. Common differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes Despite the uncertainty that often surrounds a diagnosis of diabetes, there are a few common characteristics of each diabetes type. Please note that these differences are based on generalisations - exceptions are common. For instance, the perception of type 1 diabetes isn't strictly true: many cases are diagnosed in adulthood. This table should be seen as a rough guide to the differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, rather than hard and fast rules. Co Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes Faqs
Common questions about type 2 diabetes: How do you treat type 2 diabetes? When you have type 2 diabetes, you first need to eat a healthy diet, stay physically active and lose any extra weight. If these lifestyle changes cannot control your blood sugar, you also may need to take pills and other injected medication, including insulin. Eating a healthy diet, being physically active, and losing any extra weight is the first line of therapy. “Diet and exercise“ is the foundation of all diabetes management because it makes your body’s cells respond better to insulin (in other words, it decreases insulin resistance) and lowers blood sugar levels. If you cannot normalize or control the blood sugars with diet, weight loss and exercise, the next treatment phase is taking medicine either orally or by injection. Diabetes pills work in different ways – some lower insulin resistance, others slow the digestion of food or increase insulin levels in the blood stream. The non-insulin injected medications for type 2 diabetes have a complicated action but basically lower blood glucose after eating. Insulin therapy simply increases insulin in the circulation. Don’t be surprised if you have to use multiple medications to control the blood sugar. Multiple medications, also known as combination therapy is common in the treatment of diabetes! If one medication is not enough, you medical provider may give you two or three or more different types of pills. Insulin or other injected medications also may be prescribed. Or, depending on your medical condition, you may be treated only with insulin or injected medication therapy. Many people with type 2 diabetes have elevated blood fats (high triglycerides and cholesterol) and blood pressure, so you may be given medications for these problem Continue reading >>
Diabetes Symptoms: Can You Tell Type 1 And Type 2 Apart?
Diabetes is a life-long condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to rise too high. New research by healthcare provider Abbott into the country’s views on diabetes has found 43 per of UK adults can’t tell the two types apart, despite the fact they have significant differences. Type 1 is when the body's immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin by mistake, damaging the pancreas and causing it to be unable to produce insulin and move it out of the bloodstream into cells. It is often inherited - if you have a close relative with it there’s a six per cent chance you’ll suffer too - and it can cause serious long-term health problems, including blindness, kidney failure and cardiovascular disease. Type 2 is the most common, with 90 per cent of diabetes suffers in the UK falling into that category. Type 2, on the other hand, is when the body doesn't produce enough insulin - or the body's cells don't react to insulin - meaning that glucose stays in the blood and isn’t used as fuel for energy. This type is commonly associated with obesity and old age, and triggers the same long-term health problems as type 1. According to the NHS, the second type is the most common, with 90 per cent of diabetes suffers in the UK falling into that category. Then there’s gestational diabetes - when women experience high levels of blood glucose during pregnancy - and pre-diabetes, the stage below full-blown diabetes when blood sugar is still above the normal range. Fri, August 19, 2016 Diabetes is a common life-long health condition. There are 3.5 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and an estimated 500,000 who are living undiagnosed with the condition. Symptoms are similar for any type of diabetes. These include being very thirsty, going Continue reading >>
