Type 2 Diabetes
Print Overview Type 2 diabetes, once known as adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar (glucose), your body's important source of fuel. With type 2 diabetes, your body either resists the effects of insulin — a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into your cells — or doesn't produce enough insulin to maintain a normal glucose level. More common in adults, type 2 diabetes increasingly affects children as childhood obesity increases. There's no cure for type 2 diabetes, but you may be able to manage the condition by eating well, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight. If diet and exercise aren't enough to manage your blood sugar well, you also may need diabetes medications or insulin therapy. Symptoms Signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes often develop slowly. In fact, you can have type 2 diabetes for years and not know it. Look for: Increased thirst and frequent urination. Excess sugar building up in your bloodstream causes fluid to be pulled from the tissues. This may leave you thirsty. As a result, you may drink — and urinate — more than usual. Increased hunger. Without enough insulin to move sugar into your cells, your muscles and organs become depleted of energy. This triggers intense hunger. Weight loss. Despite eating more than usual to relieve hunger, you may lose weight. Without the ability to metabolize glucose, the body uses alternative fuels stored in muscle and fat. Calories are lost as excess glucose is released in the urine. Fatigue. If your cells are deprived of sugar, you may become tired and irritable. Blurred vision. If your blood sugar is too high, fluid may be pulled from the lenses of your eyes. This may affect your ability to focus. Slow-healing sores o Continue reading >>
7 Early Signs Of Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a preventable disease that affects more than 9 percent of the U.S. population, or about 29 million people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a quarter — some 8 million people — remain undiagnosed. With complications including nerve damage, kidney damage, poor blood circulation, and even death, it’s important for us all to know the early signs of type 2 diabetes. What Is Type 2 Diabetes? Type 2 diabetes is a condition that makes it difficult for the body to manage glucose levels in the blood — something typically regulated by a hormone known as insulin. This can be because your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, the cells don’t respond to insulin correctly, or a combination of both. Obesity is a major risk factor for the disease. While most common in adults, it is increasingly being diagnosed in children, in part due to the childhood obesity epidemic. Long-term uncontrolled blood sugar levels can lead to complications like nerve damage, kidney damage, hearing impairment, skin problems, eye damage, and heart disease. Some of these complications, like poor circulation, can eventually lead to amputations, most commonly of the feet or legs. Preventing these complications requires a diagnosis and consistent treatment. Identifying the early symptoms of type 2 diabetes can make this possible. Learn More About Type 2 Diabetes The early signs of this disease are not always obvious. They may develop slowly over time, making them hard to identify. Many are asymptomatic. Because they can worsen over a period of years, type 2 diabetes may remain undiagnosed longer than other, more obvious conditions. 1. Frequent Urination Also known as polyuria, frequent and/or excessive urination is a sign that your blood sugar is Continue reading >>
9 Early Signs Of Diabetes You Must Know (#2 Is So Often Overlooked)
Diabetes is sneaky. The early symptoms can go unnoticed for months or years. In fact, 1 in 3 people with type 2 diabetes don’t know they have it. 1 in 3. Most actually do experience the early signs but don’t realise or understand what they are. Early detection and treatment can have a profound impact on your long-term health. A 3-year delay in diagnosis increases your relative risk of heart disease by 29% (1). Therefore by knowing what to look for, you can take control of the situation before it takes control of you. Diabetes Symptoms In Adults and Children Diabetes is the term given to blood sugar (glucose) levels that are too high for a sustained period of time. The signs or symptoms of high blood sugar are typically the same for both children and adults. Patients with type 1 diabetes usually develop symptoms over a sudden, short period of time. The condition is often diagnosed in an emergency setting. Type 2 diabetes on the other hand progresses quite slowly. Symptoms tend to come on gradually, which is why they are often overlooked. Some don’t experience any early symptoms at all. The following early signs of diabetes are the most common: 1. Increased urination is arguably the most common A significant increase in how often you urinate (Polyuria) is a tell-tale symptom of high blood sugar. As a point of reference, the average person pees 4 to 7 times in a 24-hour period. Waking up during the night to go, even though you already went right before bed, is a common red flag. Why does this happen?: Your kidneys are working overtime to expel the excess sugar in your blood. Sugar that the kidneys are unable to absorb must be urinated out. Therefore high sugar levels leads to more urination. 2. Excessive thirst is one of the classic early signs of diabetes Drinking u Continue reading >>
Warning Signs Of Type 2 Diabetes
Almost a third of people who have diabetes do not know it. That number comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, most people with prediabetes — a condition that puts people at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes — don’t know they have it. So my diabetes story, which began in ignorance, was not so unusual. I had prediabetes for a long time before the complications caused by high blood sugar led to a stroke. This is the reason I made a list of warning signs for Type 2 diabetes. Perhaps you or someone you love will see how important it is to get a simple blood sugar test. If this sneaky condition is caught early, you can avoid serious complications. The symptoms of Type 2 are well known but are easy to miss. Two of them are increased thirst and frequent urination. The word “diabetes” comes from the Greek word for “siphon.” If the beta cells in your pancreas are working, insulin is pumping into your blood to help your body digest carbohydrates like sugar and bread and noodles. But in Type 2 diabetes (or prediabetes) your cells are resistant to insulin, which leaves much of that glucose, or simple sugar, in the bloodstream. When blood glucose levels are above 250 mg/dl, the ability of the kidneys to reabsorb fluids is blocked, leading to the release of large amounts of liquid (and sugar) into the bladder. (A urine test would show high sugar content. This is why for thousands of years, diabetes was called the “sweet urine disease.”) This process uses lots of water, leading to increased thirst. Another sign of prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes is fatigue. Since your muscle cells are resisting insulin, they are not getting fed the glucose from your blood supply. It makes you tired. The problem with using fatigue as a warnin Continue reading >>
11 Signs You Might Have Diabetes | Healthcentral
You might not have any symptoms that you have type 2 diabetes when you get it. In fact, researchers think that the average person already has it for 10 years when a doctor diagnoses it. This type of diabetes comes on slowly. I didnt have any symptoms, but the fact that I was way overweight should have given me the warning so that I could start to manage the disease. Are you thirsty a lot of the time? Having diabetes means that sugar builds up in your bloodstream causing fluid to be pulled from your body. As a result you will probably be more thirsty than normal. Having to pee a lot is another of the most common warning signs that you may have type 2 diabetes. You may notice this more at night when it interrupts your sleep. This is connected of course with being more thirsty and therefore drinking more. What goes in must come out. When you get diabetes, the sugar in your blood gets too high. This can pull fluid from the lenses of your eyes making it harder for your eyes to focus. Blurred vision seems to be the third most common warning sign that you have diabetes. Diabetes affects your bodys ability to heal. This can happen because all that sugar in our bloodstream damages our blood vessels. Some of the most common symptoms of diabetes and at the same time the most dangerous can hurt your feet. Because of your diabetes, you may not even feel the sores until its too late. As we get older, most people get fewer infections because we build up immunity. But when you get diabetes, you get more infections because this disease makes it harder for your body to resist infections. One of the most common infections that people with diabetes get is yeast, or candida. Both fungi and bacteria thrive because of all the sugar tied up in our bloodstream. Women are particularly susceptib Continue reading >>
Early Symptoms Of Diabetes
How can you tell if you have diabetes? Most early symptoms are from higher-than-normal levels of glucose, a kind of sugar, in your blood. The warning signs can be so mild that you don't notice them. That's especially true of type 2 diabetes. Some people don't find out they have it until they get problems from long-term damage caused by the disease. With type 1 diabetes, the symptoms usually happen quickly, in a matter of days or a few weeks. They're much more severe, too. Both types of diabetes have some of the same telltale warning signs. Hunger and fatigue. Your body converts the food you eat into glucose that your cells use for energy. But your cells need insulin to bring the glucose in. If your body doesn't make enough or any insulin, or if your cells resist the insulin your body makes, the glucose can't get into them and you have no energy. This can make you more hungry and tired than usual. Peeing more often and being thirstier. The average person usually has to pee between four and seven times in 24 hours, but people with diabetes may go a lot more. Why? Normally your body reabsorbs glucose as it passes through your kidneys. But when diabetes pushes your blood sugar up, your kidneys may not be able to bring it all back in. This causes the body to make more urine, and that takes fluids. You'll have to go more often. You might pee out more, too. Because you're peeing so much, you can get very thirsty. When you drink more, you'll also pee more. Dry mouth and itchy skin. Because your body is using fluids to make pee, there's less moisture for other things. You could get dehydrated, and your mouth may feel dry. Dry skin can make you itchy. Blurred vision. Changing fluid levels in your body could make the lenses in your eyes swell up. They change shape and lose their a Continue reading >>
10 Silent Diabetes Symptoms You Might Be Missing
Diabetes has plenty of early signs, but they're subtle enough that you might not notice. Syda Productions/shutterstock "It's not like you wake up one day and all of a sudden you're thirsty, hungry, and [going to the bathroom] all the time," says Melissa Joy Dobbins, RD, a certified diabetes educator in Illinois and a spokesperson for the American Association of Diabetes Educators. "It picks up gradually." Indeed, "most people are unaware that they have diabetes in its early or even middle phases," says Aaron Cypess, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and staff physician at Joslin Diabetes Center. Just because you're not keyed in doesn't mean you're immune from problems associated with diabetes, he adds. The longer you go without controlling diabetes, the greater your risk for heart disease, kidney disease, amputation, blindness, and other serious complications. "We recommend that people with risk factors for diabetes, such as a family history or being overweight, get evaluated on a regular basis," Dr. Cypess says. If you've been feeling off, talk to your doctor about getting a simple blood test that can diagnose the disease. And pay attention to these subtle diabetes symptoms and signs. Try these simple tricks for living well with diabetes from people who actually have it. Iryna Kolesova/shutterstock When you have diabetes, your body becomes less efficient at breaking food down into sugar, so you have more sugar sitting in your bloodstream, says Dobbins. "Your body gets rid of it by flushing it out in the urine." So going to the bathroom a lot could be one of the diabetes symptoms you're missing. Most patients aren't necessarily aware of how often they use the bathroom, says Dr. Cypess. "When we ask about it, we often hear, 'Oh yeah, I guess I Continue reading >>
Symptoms Of Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes can cause serious health complications. That's why it is very important to know how to spot type 2 diabetes symptoms. Even prediabetes can increase the chance of heart disease, just like type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Talk to your doctor about preventive measures you can take now to reduce the chance of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The symptoms of type 2 diabetes due to high blood sugar may include: Increased thirst Increased hunger (especially after eating) Unexplained weight loss (even though you are eating and feel hungry) Fatigue (weak, tired feeling) Loss of consciousness (rare) Contact your health care provider if you have any type 2 diabetes symptoms or if you have further questions about type 2 diabetes. It's important to get diabetes testing and start a treatment plan early to prevent serious diabetes complications. Type 2 diabetes is usually not diagnosed until health complications have occurred. Most often, there are no diabetes symptoms or a very gradual development of the above symptoms of type 2 diabetes. In fact, about one out of every four people with type 2 diabetes don't know they have it. Other symptoms of type 2 diabetes may include: Slow-healing sores or cuts Itching of the skin (usually around the vaginal or groin area) Recent weight gain or unexplained weight loss Velvety dark skin changes of the neck, armpit, and groin, called acanthosis nigricans Numbness and tingling of the hands and feet Erectile dysfunction (impotency) Continue reading >>
7 Warning Signs Of Type 2 Diabetes
1 / 8 What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes? More than 100 million American adults are living with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, according to the latest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But the number of people who know they have the diseases — which can lead to life-threatening complications, like blindness and heart disease — is far lower. Data from the CDC suggests that of the estimated 30.3 million Americans with type 2 diabetes, 7.2 million, or 1 in 4 adults living with the disease, are not aware of it. And among those people living with prediabetes, only 11.6 percent are aware that they have the disease. Prediabetes is marked by higher than normal blood sugar levels — though not high enough to qualify as diabetes. The CDC notes that this condition often leads to full-blown type 2 diabetes within five years if it's left untreated through diet and lifestyle modifications. Type 2 diabetes, which is often diagnosed when a person has an A1C of at least 7 on two separate occasions, can lead to potentially serious issues, like neuropathy, or nerve damage; vision problems; an increased risk of heart disease; and other diabetes complications. A person’s A1C is the two- to three-month average of his or her blood sugar levels. According to the Mayo Clinic, doctors may use other tests to diagnose diabetes. For example, they may conduct a fasting blood glucose test, which is a blood glucose test done after a night of fasting. While a fasting blood sugar level of less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) is normal, one that is between 100 to 125 mg/dL signals prediabetes, and a reading that reaches 126 mg/dL on two separate occasions means you have diabetes. People with full-blown type 2 diabetes are not able to use the h Continue reading >>
Early Signs And Symptoms Of Diabetes In Women
Diabetes often strikes women differently due to a number of reasons, primary among them being the hormonal variations between men and women. Inflammation also acts differently in women. Considering that type 2 diabetes is a disease of chronic low-grade inflammation, it follows that warning signs, as well as disease progression in women, are different significantly, if not vastly. Diabetes is one of the biggest lifestyle diseases we see today. In just 25 years, the global incidence of diabetes has doubled, according to the World Health Organization. More than 15 million women are living with type 2 diabetes in the United States alone and another 40 million are prediabetic, according to CDC (Center for Disease Control) statistics of 2017. Symptoms of Diabetes in Women While many signs and symptoms of diabetes are common in men and women, women experience certain unique symptoms. These are: Vaginal and Oral Infections Overgrowth of a yeast called Candida albicans causes vaginal and oral yeast infections, called “thrush.” High levels of glucose in the blood are favorable for the growth of this yeast. Vaginal infections are accompanied by symptoms like soreness, itching, vaginal discharge and pain during sex. When the infection is oral, a cottage cheese-like coating is seen on the tongue and the inside of the mouth. Urinary Tract Infections The risk of UTIs is higher in women with diabetes. UTIs occur when bacteria gain access to the urinary tract, where they colonize and cause infection. Signs and symptoms include painful urination, burning sensation while urination, fever and cloudy (sometimes bloody) urine. High blood glucose levels, poor circulation and the inability of immune cells to effectively fight bacteria are all causes of UTIs. Poor Sexual Health High levels Continue reading >>
7 Warning Signs Of Type 2 Diabetes
Many people get a surprise when the doctor hands them a diabetes or a prediabetes diagnosis. They go to the doctor for a routine checkup or because of some specific complaint, such as back pain or fatigue, and their lab work comes back with the bad news that their blood sugar is way too high. More: 15 Common Risk Factors of Type 2 Diabetes If they were really paying attention to their bodies, however, they wouldn't be surprised. As diabetes develops, it announces itself in all kinds of ways, some of them subtle and others really in your face. Your mouth feels dry, and you want to keep your lips planted on the water fountain, despite the line of people forming behind you. Dehydration is actually about your brain, not your mouth, even though your mouth is dry. Don't believe me? Your brain cells need a steady supply of glucose. When your brain is bathed in overly concentrated sugar water, it will summon fluid from any source to dilute the uncomfortable fluid surrounding each cell. Your brain gets this fluid from other cells, which leads to dehydration. You may have the urge to drink copious amounts of fluid as your body tries to overcome the lack of water. Soda pop junkies, you're fooling yourself if you think that drinking soda will hydrate you. It never will. For now, drink more pure, filtered water. You can do it! It makes sense that if you are drinking more water because of constant thirst, then you will be urinating a lot too. You are staring at (or sitting on) the potty more than normal because there is too much sugar in your blood and your kidneys are getting a serious sugar bath. If your kidneys could speak, they'd say, "Hey, what's the deal here? I'm overwhelmed, so I'm going to pull extra water out of your blood to dilute all this sugar!" Essentially, the floodga Continue reading >>
5 Strange Symptoms That Could Be Early Signs Of Diabetes
Besides the well-known symptoms—like constant thirst and a frequent need to pee—here are a few other subtle signals that something may be wrong. Many people who develop type 2 diabetes have no idea they’re sick until a blood test shows abnormal blood sugar levels, or until their disease progresses and serious complications start to occur. “For the most part, diabetes is silent and insidious,” says Ronald Tamler, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Clinical Diabetes Institute. “Most of the time people have no symptoms early on.” In some cases, though, there are sneaky signs. Some early diabetes symptoms are well-known: constant thirst, excessive urination, or sudden weight gain or loss, for example. Others, like the ones below, are more easily missed—by medical professionals and patients alike. If you’re experiencing any of these, be sure to bring them up with your doctor. Inflamed or infected gums Periodontitis—also known as gum disease—may be an early sign of type 2 diabetes, according to new research published in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. The study found that people with gum disease, especially those with severe cases, had higher rates of diabetes (both diagnosed and undiagnosed) and pre-diabetes than those without. The connection between gum disease and diabetes isn’t new, says Dr. Tamler, and it appears to go both ways: Having either condition seems to increase the risk of developing the other. “Inflammation caused by gum disease eggs on the same factors that are responsible for high blood sugar that cause diabetes,” he says. Skin discoloration “Long before you actually get diabetes, you may notice a dark discoloration on the back of your neck,” says Dr. Tamler. This is called acanthosis nigricans, and it’s usually Continue reading >>
Diabetes Symptoms In Men: 4 Different Signs
What is diabetes? What are the types of diabetes? Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that occurs when your blood sugar (glucose), is too high (hyperglycemia). Glucose is what the body uses for energy, and the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin that helps convert the glucose from the food you eat into energy. When the body either does not produce enough insulin, does not produce any at all, or your body becomes resistant to the insulin, the glucose does not reach your cells to be used for energy. This results in the health condition termed diabetes. There are two main types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes, because it usually is diagnosed during childhood. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the body does not produce insulin because the body’s immune system attacks insulin-producing cells from the pancreas called beta cells. Type 1 diabetes is treated by using insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which cells cannot use blood sugar (glucose) efficiently for energy. This occurs when blood sugar levels get too high over time, and the cells become insensitive or resistant to insulin (termed insulin resistance). There are multiple medications used to treat type 2 diabetes. What warning signs and symptoms of diabetes are unique to men? Signs and symptoms of diabetes unique to men include: What warning signs and symptoms of diabetes are the same in men and women? There are diabetes warning signs and symptoms that both women and men have in common, for example: Excessive thirst and hunger Irritability Slow-healing wounds Skin infections Breath odor that is fruity, sweet, or an acetone odor Diabetes Diet: Healthy Meal Plans for Diabetes-Friendly Eating How does diabetes affect men differently than wom Continue reading >>
Type 2 Diabetes: These Are The Early Warning Signs - Simplemost
According to the American Diabetes Association, 30.3 million people in the United Statesor 9.4 percent of all Americanshave diabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all diabetes cases. In 2017, the group estimated that 7.2 million Americans have diabetes but havent been diagnosed. And its a very serious disease which kills about 80,000 people in the U.S. every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . The good news is that type 2 diabetes is highly treatable . In fact, there have been cases of remission , in which all signs and symptoms disappear. Learning about the risks, symptoms and treatment can help you watch for signs of and perhaps even reduce your chances of getting this deadly disease. When you have type 2 diabetes, your body is unable to use insulin properly. Initially, your pancreas produces extra insulin to compensate, but eventually it is unable to make enough insulin to control the glucose levels in your blood. Glucose builds up in your cells and can eventually cause eye, kidney, nerve or heart problems. Unlike type 1 diabetes, which is unpreventable and hits its patients at random, often at a young age , type 2 diabetes can be prevented. Although there are risk factors you cannot control, such as a family history, age and ethnicity, other risk factors that lead to type 2 diabetes are related to lifestyle. If you think you are exhibiting signs of type 2 diabetes, if you have a body mass index of 25 or higher or if you are over 45,the ADA recommends seeking a screening from a health care professional. Your doctor may recommend testing your blood glucose level using several methods. You may be required to test twice in order to diagnose diabetes . A positive diagnosis can mean different things for different people Continue reading >>
The 17 Warning Signs Of Type-2 Diabetes
Many people suffer from type-2 diabetes and don’t even know it. This is because some of the symptoms might not seem like much, but it is vital to know what could be a warning sign… Type-2 diabetes is a bigger danger than we often realize. This is because it is not only the ailment itself that is a problem, but it can also lead to various other serious health issues. If you are not careful, type-2 diabetes can lead to things like insulin resistance, heart disease, heart attacks, and stroke. Here are 17 warning signs that might tell you that you are already suffering from type-2 diabetes or are well on your way to it… Constantly feeling thirsty. Always feeling hungry, even after you have just eaten. Your mouth feeling dry the whole time. Frequently urinating. Unexplained weight loss, even while eating more. Feeling tired and fatigued. Blurry vision. Persistent headaches Occasional loss of consciousness. Sores or cuts that don’t seem to heal. Itchy skin, especially around the groin or vaginal area. Regular yeast infections. Fluctuations in your bodyweight. Acanthosis nigricans (Velvety dark skin patches in the neck, armpit, and groin) Numbness, tingling, or pain in the hands and feet Problems with your sight. Erectile dysfunction. If you notice any of these signs, it is important to consult a doctor to get tested for diabetes. The earlier you can detect it and start treating it, the easier it will be to manage. But of course, prevention is always better than cure. It is also advised that you get tested for type-2 diabetes even if you don’t have any of the symptoms, as many people only realize they have it once they have had it for a while, which can increase the risk of other dangerous health issues. How you can stop and even prevent type-2 diabetes Diabetes comp Continue reading >>
