Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Review Of Current Trends

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Review of Current Trends

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Introduction
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is probably one of the oldest diseases known to man. It was first reported in Egyptian manuscript about 3000 years ago.1 In 1936, the distinction between type 1 and type 2 DM was clearly made.2 Type 2 DM was first described as a component of metabolic syndrome in 1988.3 Type 2 DM (formerly known as non-insulin dependent DM) is the most common form of DM characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and relative insulin deficiency.4 Type 2 DM results from interaction between genetic, environmental and behavioral risk factors.5,6
People living with type 2 DM are more vulnerable to various forms of both short- and long-term complications, which often lead to their premature death. This tendency of increased morbidity and mortality is seen in patients with type 2 DM because of the commonness of this type of DM, its insidious onset and late recognition, especially in resource-poor developing countries like Africa.7
Epidemiology
It is estimated that 366 million people had DM in 2011; by 2030 this would have risen to 552 million.8 The number of people with type 2 DM is increasing in every country with 80% of people with DM living in low- and middle-income countries. DM caused 4.6 million deaths in 2011.8 It is estimated that 439 million people would have type 2 DM by the year 2030.9 The incidence of type 2 DM varies substantially from one geographical region to the other as a result of environmental and lifestyle risk factors.10
Literature search has shown that there are few data available on the prevalence of type 2 DM in Africa as Continue reading

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Signs and Symptoms – Type 1 Diabetes

Up to 5 Irish children and teenagers are diagnosed each week with Type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition affecting 1 in 500 children with onset over days or weeks. The condition tends to occur in childhood or early adult life and will require daily insulin therapy. It is caused by the body’s own immune system destroying the insulin-making cells (beta-cells) of the pancreas.
Diagnosis
A simple finger prick test by a GP can lead to early diagnosis and avoid the risk of developing DKA.
Early diagnosis is vital to ensure that Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) does not develop. DKA is a potentially life threatening condition that requires urgent medical attention.
In 2014, 1 in 6 children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes were admitted to hospital with DKA, as a result of late diagnosis.
Signs and Symptoms
Knowing the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes is vital. Up to five children and teenagers are diagnosed each week with Type 1 diabetes in Ireland with 10% having a late diagnosis resulting in critical illness.
The four main symptoms of Type 1 diabetes are easy to remember:
Thirst: Excess drinking, unable to quench thirst.
Toilet: Frequent urination, particularly at night.
Tiredness: Lack of energy, sleeping more than usual.
Weight loss: Rapid weight loss over a short period.
If these symptoms present themselves, immediate attention is needed. A simple blood glucose (finger prick) test by your GP can check for Type 1 diabetes.
Less common symptoms:
Lack of concentration
Vomiting and abdominal pain
Constipation
Bedwetting
Mood swings
Frequent infections
Itchy skin infect Continue reading

Type 2 diabetes: Symptoms, early signs, and complications

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes can develop at any age, although it is more common in middle-aged and older adults. But what are the early signs and symptoms of this condition?
Type 2 diabetes results in high blood sugar levels and is believed to affect 29.1 million Americans. It accounts for up to 95 percent of all diabetes cases, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In this article, we explore the early signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes. We also look at the associated risk factors and potential complications of the condition.
Contents of this article:
What is type 2 diabetes?
People with type 2 diabetes do not make or use insulin correctly. Insulin is a hormone that regulates movement of blood glucose (sugar) into cells. Blood glucose is the body's source of energy and comes from food.
When sugar cannot enter cells, it builds up and the body is unable to rely on it for energy. If the body is unable to get glucose, the result is symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
A doctor may suspect diabetes if a person's blood sugar levels are above 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes
There are a number of symptoms of type 2 diabetes that people should be aware of. Awareness of these may help them get advice and a possible diagnosis. The sooner someone with type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, the sooner they can begin treatment to manage the condition.
Symptoms include the following:
Frequent urination and increased thirst: When excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream, fluid is pull Continue reading

50% Rise In Diabetes Deaths Across India Over 11 Years

With a genetic predisposition brought to the fore by changing lifestyles, deaths due to diabetes increased 50% in India between 2005 and 2015, and is now the seventh most common cause of death in the country, up from the 11th rank in 2005, according to data published by the Global Burden of Disease (GDB).
Ischemic heart disease continues to be the highest cause of death, followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cerebrovascular disease, lower respiratory infection, diarrhoeal diseases and tuberculosis.
In 2015, 346,000 people died of diabetes, which caused 3.3% of all deaths that year, with an annual increase of 2.7% from 1990, according to the GDB study.
Nearly 26 people die of diabetes per 100,000 population; diabetes is also one of the top causes of disability and accounts for 2.4% of the disability adjusted life years lost (sum of years lost due to disability or premature death due to the disease).
Source: Global Burden of Disease, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)
There are 69.1 million people with diabetes in India, the second highest number in the world after China, which has 109 million people with diabetes. Of these, 36 million cases remain undiagnosed, according to this 2015 Diabetes Atlas released by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Nearly 9% in the age group of 20-79 have diabetes.
The figures are alarming since diabetes is a chronic disease that not just affects the pancreas’ ability to produce insulin but affects the entire body. Complications caused due to diabetes include heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, vision l Continue reading

‘Diabetes epidemic shifting to urban poor, India needs urgent prevention, screening’

Diabetes, once a disease of the affluent, is now rampant among India’s urban poor too and preventive measures and free screening services are urgently required to control its impact
Diabetes, once a disease of the affluent, is now rampant among India’s urban poor too and preventive measures and free screening services are urgently required to control its impact: this is the recommendation of V Mohan, one of India’s pioneering diabetologists.
Mohan was one of the authors of a 15-state study on diabetes in India funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research and India’s health ministry. The study was published in The Lancet, a British medical journal, on June 7, 2017.
At 16.7%, India had the highest share of the world’s diabetics in 2015 after China (26%), according to Diabetes Atlas 2015. This is the result of sedentary lifestyle and bad food choices, Mohan had told IndiaSpend on June 30, 2015.
It is important to ensure early detection of diabetes – an impairment that reduces the pancreas’ ability to produce insulin, a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and vision loss.
Read more | Once-a-month diabetes treatment may replace daily insulin jabs
The 15-state survey showed that 47.3% of the 3,938 respondents identified as having diabetes had not been diagnosed. In 2015, about 52% of India’s 69.2 million diabetics remained undiagnosed, IndiaSpend reported on October 13, 2016.
Except Punjab, more respondents reported prediabetes– high blood glucose that hasn Continue reading