Type 2 Diabetes Complications
With type 2 diabetes (also called type 2 diabetes mellitus), if you don’t work hard to keep your blood glucose level under control, there are short- and long-term complications to contend with. However, by watching the amount and types of food you eat (your meal plan), exercising, and taking any necessary medications, you may be able to prevent these complications. And even if you have some of the long-term, more serious complications discussed below when you’re first diagnosed, getting tight control of your blood glucose will help prevent the complications from becoming worse. (It is possible with type 2 diabetes to already have some of these complications when you’re first diagnosed. That’s because type 2 develops gradually, and you may not realize that you have high blood glucose for quite some time. Over time, high blood glucose can cause serious damage. You can learn more about that in this article on the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.) Short-term Diabetes Complications Hypoglycemia is low blood glucose (blood sugar). It is possible for your blood glucose to drop, especially if you’re taking insulin or a sulfonylurea drug (those make your body produce insulin throughout the day). With these medications, if you eat less than usual or were more active, your blood glucose may dip too much. Other possible causes of hypoglycemia include certain medications (aspirin, for example, lowers the blood glucose level if you take a dose of more than 81mg) and too much alcohol (alcohol keeps the liver from releasing glucose). Rapid heartbeat Sweating Whiteness of skin Anxiety Numbness in fingers, toes, and lips Sleepiness Confusion Headache Slurred speech Mild cases of hypoglycemia can be treated by drinking orange juice or eating a glucose tablet—those will quickly rai Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Life Expectancy: What Effect Does Type 2 Diabetes Have?
Diabetes can cause serious health complications and have an impact on life expectancy. How much a person's life is reduced depends on a combination of factors, such as the severity of the case, additional complications, and response to treatment. After being diagnosed, most people with diabetes want to know how the condition will affect the length and quality of their life. Each individual varies, but maintaining healthy blood sugar levels often has the largest influence on life expectancy. Relatively few studies have examined the link between diabetes and life expectancy, especially on a large scale. As a result, doctors aren't entirely sure how diabetes relates to how long people with the condition will live. This article will explore more. Fast facts on diabetes and life expectancy: While some estimates exist, there is no way to know exactly how diabetes will affect life expectancy. Type 2 diabetes is thought to have less of an effect on life expectancy than type 1 because people typically develop the condition much later in life. Generally, anything that helps maintain or contribute to healthy blood sugar levels can reduce the toll diabetes takes. What is the life expectancy of people with type 2 diabetes? A 2010 report by Diabetes UK claims type 2 diabetes reduces life expectancy by roughly 10 years. The same report states that type 1 diabetes may reduce life expectancy by at least 20 years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average life expectancy in 2014 for American men was 76.4 years and women 81.2 years. A 2012 Canadian study found that women aged 55 years and over with diabetes lost on average 6 years of life while men lost 5 years. Also, a 2015 study concluded that the risk of death associated with type 2 diabetes could b Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes makes it difficult for a person’s body to use the insulin it produces. This is called insulin resistance: the cells of your body do not easily recognize your insulin. If the insulin is not recognized, the "door" to your cells will not open to allow sugar to move from the blood into the cell. Sugar remains in the blood, leading to higher than normal blood sugars. Who gets type 2 diabetes? Anyone can develop diabetes. However, people who have a family history of diabetes are more likely to develop it. The risk of developing type 2 diabetes also increases as people become older, sedentary, or overweight. Ethnic background is also an important factor. People of Native American, Latino, African American, and Asian American descent are at greater risk for diabetes. Additionally, people who develop diabetes while pregnant (known as gestational diabetes) are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes . People of any age can get type 2 diabetes. It is seen most frequently in adults, but type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing in children and adolescents. Federal statistics estimate that 18.2 million children and adults in the United States — 6.3 percent of the population — have diabetes. While an estimated 13 million of these have been diagnosed with diabetes, 5.2 million are estimated to have type 2 diabetes and not know it. Most people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes: A family history of diabetes Overweight An inactive lifestyle Over 45 years old African American, Asian American, Hispanic, Native American or Pacific Islander heritage History of gestational diabetes or having a baby weighing over 9 pounds Having high cholesterol and/or high blood pressure Symptoms of type 2 diabetes: Frequent urination Increased thirst Continue reading >>
How To Learn To Live With Type 2 Diabetes
It takes more than medicine to cope with diabetes every day.(RADE PAVLOVIC/ISTOCKPHOTO) Type 2 diabetes is serious business, but it's not a death sentence. With proper management, people can live relatively normal lives. "I think sometimes people still understand diabetes as being the disease where you get your legs cut off and go blind," says Thomas Blevins, MD, an endocrinologist and founder of Texas Diabetes and Endocrinology, a private practice in Austin. Diabetes management has come a long way in recent years thanks to a flurry of research, more drug options, advances in home glucose monitoring, and in many cases earlier diagnosis. While diabetes has become more manageable, it isn't necessarily easier. Learning how to cope You'll need to cope with added health costs, diabetes burnout (a point when the daily grind of finger pricking, food monitoring, and exercise may get you down), social functions like the office holiday party, and family members who may be less than supportiveor overzealous in their support. Frustration I did everything and my sugar was high Watch videoMore about coping with diabetes Turning down a second piece of cake is no piece of cake. But you may need to cope with temptation as well as well-meaning family and friends who morph into the "food police," interrogating your every food choice. Diabetes education Your first ally in learning how to live with diabetes will most likely be a diabetes educator, a health professional who teaches the finer points of living with diabetes. Penny, a 67-year-old who lives in New York City, took a five-week course in diabetic self-management at the Montefiore Medical Center. It was the best thing to ever happen to her, she says. She gained a much deeper understanding of the anatomy and physiology of diabetes; l Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes
What is type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that affects your body’s use of glucose (a type of sugar you make from the carbohydrates you eat). Glucose is the fuel your cells need to do their work. You need glucose for energy. You also need insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps glucose enter your cells so that it can be converted to energy. Here’s the problem: People with type 2 diabetes (also known as diabetes mellitus) can’t properly use or store glucose, either because their cells resist it or, in some cases, they don’t make enough. Over time, glucose builds up in the bloodstream, which can lead to serious health complications unless people take steps to manage their blood sugar. Type 2 diabetes affects more than 29 million Americans, including nearly eight million who don’t even know they have it. You may be at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes if it runs in your family, if you are of a certain age or ethnicity, or if you are inactive or overweight. Type 2 diabetes vs. type 1 diabetes What’s the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes? Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body does not produce insulin. The immune system destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults. People with type 1 diabetes need life-long insulin therapy. Type 2 diabetes is much more common. In type 2 diabetes, the body doesn’t use insulin properly or, in some cases, doesn’t make enough. It’s usually diagnosed in middle-aged or older adults, but anyone can develop type 2 diabetes. It can be managed through diet, exercise, and medication. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t use insulin as it should or when the pancreas doesn� Continue reading >>
You Can Have Diabetes & Not Know It
You Can Have Diabetes & NOT Know It By Ted Twietmeter 5-18-12 Can you be a diabetic for years and believe you're healthy without ever knowing you are seriously ill? As someone who cares for a family member who has diabetes, I've learned a few things about the disease along the way and would like to share them with you. I am not a doctor or a health care professional, but encourage everyone I know to have their blood glucose (sugar) level checked at least once if it's never been done. Glucose is most accurately checked in the morning after fasting overnight which is the standard method. The reason for this is to see how low your glucose level gets each day, which is in the morning. One doctor we know said it this way: "Diabetes is basically glucose circulating in your bloodstream, and your body cannot neutralize it to be rid of it." I wrote this as it seems that no one addresses the basics of this silent, deadly but treatable disease. I'll provide a URL at the end to read far more detailed advice written by medical professionals later. First, there are two basic types of diabetic patients: 1. Type 1 diabetics are born with the disease and are usually diagnosed these days within the first few years of life, or even at birth if symptoms appear in routine blood tests. Type 1 patients are usually on insulin injections throughout their life, starting as a child to self-inject as needed. Some of these patients may require an insulin pump or simply have one for convenience. 2. Type 2 diabetics acquire it later in life. The disease can start at most any age and even reach their mid-life years before being diagnosed as a type 2. This type is often characterized by either insufficient insulin production in the pancreas (like a type 1) or a condition known as insulin resistance. We Continue reading >>
Can A Diabetic Person With Age 35 Can Have A Life Span Of 70 And How To Manage It By Not Taking Medication
Kapalbhati & anulomvilom are Yoga exercise and if you do some exercise of 30 minutes in the morning & 30 minutes in the evening you can definitely control diabetes & if possible about 15 minutes fast walk. The Yoga book /C.D is available at almost every book shop. Diabetes UK estimates in its report, Diabetes in the UK 2010: Key Statistics on Diabetes, that the life expectancy of someone with type 2 diabetes is likely to be reduced, as a result of the condition, by up to 10 years. People with type 1 diabetes have traditionally lived shorter lives, with life expectancy having been quoted as being reduced by over 20 years. However, improvement in diabetes care in recent decades indicates that people with type 1 diabetes are now living significantly longer. * Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people of similar age without diabetes. * Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes. * The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher among people with diabetes. Monitoring and controlling the levels of diabetes indicators, including HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postprandial plasma glucose (PPG), body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and lipids, is an integral component of diabetes care at every stage of the disease. Diabetic patients should conduct the following tests periodically. A: HbA1c. HbA1c is a lab test that shows the average level of blood sugar (glucose) over the previous 3 months. It shows how well you are controlling your diabetes. B: Control your high Blood pressure, if any. Normal blood pressure- <120/80 mmHg. C: Control your blood Cholesterol: Normal cholesterol < 200 mg/dL. LDL <100 mg/dL HDL > 40 mg/dL Triglyceride < 150 mg/dL. D: Diabetic education. Denta Continue reading >>
How Long Can You Live With Diabetes? Type 1 And Type 2 Life Expectancy
After the diagnosis of diabetes, people worry about their life expectancy. The good news is that if you handle your diabetes with proper care, your life expectancy will not be reduced much. Diabetes is a chronic condition that requires constant daily care, which makes it more difficult to control than some other conditions. When diabetes damage the body to much, it can shorten the lifespan. It is never pleasant to talk about death, but human nature pushes us to want to know how long I can expect to live. However, there is no quick and accurate answer because there are a number of factors that influence the life expectancy of each individual diabetic. Some factors include: How long has diabetes been diagnosed? The progress of diabetic complications and if one has other existing conditions will all contribute to life expectancy, regardless of whether the person in question has type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. You should keep in mind that advances in diabetes care and above all the way people are taking care of their health and making it possible to live a long life with diabetes is a reality. What Is The Life Expectancy For People With Type 1 Diabetes? In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, the hormone that helps to transport glucose into the body's cells to use as energy. Between 5 and 10% of people with diabetes suffer from this type of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is most commonly diagnosed in childhood or adolescence, but one can suffer in any age. This means that people with type 1 diabetes can spend a large part of their lives with this condition. Therefore different reports show that the average person with type 1 diabetes has a shorter life expectancy than a person without it, but today the life expectancy gap is narrowing. Improvements Continue reading >>
Can You Live Long With Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes mellitus. Unfortunately, it still has no cure. Once you’re diagnosed with it, you will have it for the rest of your life. But although it’s chronic and incurable condition, it’s manageable. The chance to live long with it is pretty good, too! Type-2 diabetes develops gradually You body needs hormone called insulin to help regulate blood sugar. This hormone is made by special cells called beta cells in the pancreas (an organ behind and below stomach). It is required to help move glucose (sugar) from bloodstream into cells of the body. Diabetes occurs when something goes awry with your insulin. There are several types of diabetes; type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (it only occurs in pregnancy, as the name suggests). In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas doesn’t produce adequate insulin or the body cannot use insulin effectively (insulin resistance)! As a result, blood sugar level is more difficult to manage and easier to fluctuate abnormally. Making the diagnosis of the disease as early as possible is important. Early diabetes is easier to manage. On the other hand advanced diabetes, especially when it has caused its complications, is more difficult to treat. If you experience some of the following diabetes symptoms, see a doctor promptly: Frequent urination (you pass urine more often than usual). Increased thirst. See also the reasons of why diabetics can get so thirsty in this post! Frequent infections and difficult (slow) to heal. Changes in appetite, which may also be followed with weight changes especially unplanned weight loss. Unfortunately, there is usually no early sign of the disease. People with type 2 may not have the symptoms for many years. Typically, type 2 develops more slowly than type 1. There Continue reading >>
People With Type 2 Diabetes Live Longer If They're Overweight: What Is The 'obesity Paradox?'
Overweight people have an advantage over everyone else that’s stumping medical experts. Researchers aren’t sure why, but overweight patients with type 2 diabetes live longer than those who are underweight, normal weight, or obese. They’re calling it the “obesity paradox” and have some theories as to why a little extra weight helps diabetics survive longer. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, analyzed over 10,500 type 2 diabetes patients for more than 10 years and found an unusual trend: The overweight and obese patients were at greater risk for cardiovascular events, such as a heart attack or stroke, but the overweight group had a better chance at survival. And not just compared to the obese patients, but those who were overweight had better odds than those who were underweight or of normal weight with type 2 diabetes. When a person has type 2 diabetes, they have rising blood glucose levels, also known as sugar levels, according to the American Diabetes Association. Their bodies aren’t able to process insulin properly because their pancreas isn’t able to keep up with how much sugar they’re ingesting or because their body is unable to use the insulin properly. It’s the most common form of diabetes, affecting 90 to 95 percent out of the 26 million Americans who are diagnosed with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Overweight and obese people are at a heightened risk for developing type 2 diabetes, especially if they’re over 45 years old, have a family member with it, live a sedentary lifestyle, have high blood pressure, or are of several minority groups. Ten years ago researchers observed overweight and obese patients with coronary heart disease had better surgery outcomes than normal weight patients. They published their findings and des Continue reading >>
Can You Die From Diabetes? Type 1 And Type 2 Life Expectancy
Diabetes is a disease which is caused either due to the lack of proper production of insulin by the pancreas or due to the improper use of insulin in the human body. This gives rise to the blood sugar level or the glucose level in the body as it is the hormone insulin which is responsible for the breakdown of the carbohydrates and the other essential nutrients in the food to release the much-needed energy by the cells. It is a disease which adversely affects the primary function of metabolism in the body thereby exposing our body to several other complications. Diabetes affects different people in different manners and as such, it takes several forms. The most common type of diabetes is type 1 and type 2 diabetes. There are various factors and causes which contribute to each type and form of the disease. Due to the several complications that are associated with this condition, diabetes is often considered a deadly disease that can kill you. It is not uncommon to hear of people who have died of diabetes in the past few years. In this article, we shall further deep dive into the various issues that diabetes accompanies and might lead to the death of the diabetic patient. How Long Can You Live with Diabetes? It is not very uncommon to hear that diabetes will shorten the expected life of the concerned patient. But the question is: How much? There are different opinions about the subject. As per a few types of research conducted, diabetes can shorten life by 8.5 years in a 50-year old individual. On the other hand, Diabetes UK estimates that the expected life span of type 1 diabetic patient is reduced by more than 20 years while a type 2 diabetes patient lives 10 years shorter as compared to the healthier counterparts. Besides, the University of Pittsburg has estimated throu Continue reading >>
Living With Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which your pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or your body does not properly use the insulin it makes. As a result, glucose (sugar) builds up in your blood instead of being used for energy. Your body gets glucose from foods like bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, milk and fruit. To use this glucose, your body needs insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body to control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood. The good news You can live a long and healthy life by keeping your blood glucose (sugar) levels in the target range set by you and your health-care provider. You can do this by: Eating healthy meals and snacks Enjoying regular physical activity Monitoring your blood glucose (sugar) using a home blood glucose meter* Aiming for a healthy body weight Taking diabetes medications including insulin and other medications, if prescribed by your doctor Managing stress effectively * Discuss with your health-care provider how often you should measure your blood glucose (sugar) level. Who can help you? Your health-care team is there to help you. Depending on your needs and the resources available in your community, your team may include a family doctor, diabetes educator (nurse and/or dietitian), endocrinologist, pharmacist, social worker, exercise physiologist, psychologist, foot care specialist, eye care specialist. They can answer your questions about how to manage diabetes and work with you to adjust your food plan, activity and medications. Remember, you are the most important member of your health-care team. Get the support you need A positive and realistic attitude towards your diabetes can help you manage it. Talk to others who have diabetes. Ask your local Diabetes Canada branch about joining a peer-support group or taking p Continue reading >>
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 >>
Development Of Life-expectancy Tables For People With Type 2 Diabetes
Go to: Abstract To develop tables that report the life expectancy associated with levels of major modifiable risk factors for patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods and results A set of tables reporting life-expectancy stratified by age–sex groups for combinations of modifiable risk was constructed based on predictions from the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) Outcomes Model. This model is based on a system of parametric proportional hazards risk equations for estimating mortality and vascular complications of diabetes that have been estimated from 3642 patients from the UKPDS. The tables show substantial potential gains in life expectancy within every age group from modifying major risk factors. The estimated life expectancy of men at age of 55 years with type 2 diabetes, 5 years after diagnosis, varies between 13.2 years for a patient who smokes, has systolic blood pressure of 180 mmHg, a total:HDL cholesterol ratio of 8, and HbA1c of 10%, and 21.1 years for a non-smoker with SBP of 120 mmHg, total/HDL ratio of 4, and HbA1c of 6%. Life expectancy tables provide a potentially useful tool of conveying prognostic information to people with type 2 diabetes and suggest substantial scope for increasing longevity by improving modifiable risk factors. Keywords: Risk factors, Cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, Life expectancy, Mathematical modelling and simulation, Education Increase/decrease in relative riska, holding everything else constant, for different types of macro-vascular events and death from a change in risk factors levels Risk factor (units) Myocardial infarction, % Other IHD, % Congestive heart failure, % Stroke, % Event fatality, % Diabetes mortality, % Other mortality, % HbA1c (1% increase) 13 (7–18) 13 (6–21) 17 (5–31) 14 (5–23 Continue reading >>
People With Type 1 Diabetes Are Living Longer
Better blood sugar control may be the key to longer survival Ninety years ago, type 1 diabetes was a death sentence: half of people who developed it died within two years; more than 90% were dead within five years. Thanks to the introduction of insulin therapy in 1922, and numerous advances since then, many people with type 1 diabetes now live into their 50s and beyond. But survival in this group still falls short of that among people without diabetes. A Scottish study published this week in JAMA shows that at the age of 20, individuals with type 1 diabetes on average lived 12 fewer years than 20-year-olds without it. A second study in the same issue of JAMA showed that people with type 1 diabetes with better blood sugar control lived longer than those with poorer blood sugar control. Types of diabetes There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys cells in the pancreas that make insulin. This usually happens before age 20. Insulin is needed to get blood sugar (glucose) into cells for energy. Without insulin, glucose builds up in the bloodstream. This damages cells and tissues throughout the body. People who develop type 1 diabetes need to take insulin via shots or a pump for life. Type 2 diabetes tends to occur later in life, usually among individuals who are overweight or inactive. It accounts for about 90% of all diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes often make enough insulin, at least at first, but their cells don’t respond to it. As with type 1 diabetes, glucose builds up in the bloodstream, damaging cells and tissues throughout the body. Type 2 diabetes is initially treated with lifestyle changes such as weight loss, more exercise, and a healthier diet. Medications that make the Continue reading >>
