Types of Diabetes (Part – 02)

Types of Diabetes (Part – 02)

     Previous articles on diabetes were an introduction to diabetes mellitus and its

various types, as well as one of its types, Type 1 Diabetes mellitus, was

discussed at length. Accordingly, in today's article, we will discuss at length

another type of diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes mellitus.

          Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong disease that prevents the body from using

insulin the way it should. This long-term condition causes excessive blood

sugar to circulate. Eventually, high blood sugar levels can cause circulatory,

nervous, and immune system disorders. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas does

not produce enough insulin.

    Type 2 diabetes is the most common type. People who are middle-aged or

older are more likely to get this type of diabetes. That is why it is called adult-

onset diabetes. But childhood obesity can also lead to type 2 diabetes in

children and adolescents. There is no cure for type 2 diabetes. However, The

disease can be controlled by losing weight, eating a balanced diet, and

exercising. Blood sugar cannot be controlled by doing this alone. For that

Diabetes medication or insulin therapy is also required.

      Symptoms of type 2 diabetes can be subtle. Most people don't know that.

The symptoms are: Being very thirsty, Peeing a lot, Blurry vision, Being cranky,

Tingling or numbness in your hands or feet, Fatigue/feeling worn out, Wounds

that don't heal, Yeast infections that keep coming back, Feeling hungry, Weight

loss without trying, and Getting more infections. A dark rash around the neck or

in the armpits may be a sign that your body is becoming resistant to insulin.

These are called acanthosis nigricans.

          There are various causes of type 2 diabetes. We know that the pancreas

 produces the hormone insulin. It helps cells turn glucose, a type of sugar from

the food we eat, into energy. Here, people with type 2 diabetes produce insulin,

but their cells do not use it as needed. What happens here is that the pancreas

first produces more insulin to try to get glucose into your cells. But in the end,

it cannot be sustained. Instead, glucose builds up in your blood. Usually, type 2

diabetes is caused by a combination of factors. These are genes, extra weight,

metabolic syndrome, high glucose levels in the liver, bad communication

between cells, and broken beta cells.

    Genes:

      Scientists have discovered that different parts of DNA affects how the body

 produces insulin.

   Extra weight:

     One of the most common causes of insulin resistance is being overweight or

 obese

   Metabolic syndrome:

    That means people with insulin resistance often have a cluster of conditions,

 including high blood sugar, extra fat around the waist, high blood pressure and

 high cholesterol and triglycerides.

   High glucose levels in the liver:

    This happens when the blood sugar is low, the liver produces glucose and

sends it out. Then after eating, blood sugar rises, and the liver normally slows

down and then stores glucose there. But maybe not. The liver continuously

removes sugar.

   Bad communication between cells:

    Sometimes cells send the wrong signals or don't receive messages correctly.

When these problems affect how cells produce and use insulin or glucose, a

chain reaction can lead to diabetes.

   Broken beta cells:

    High blood sugar also damages cells, so if insulin-producing cells send the

wrong amount of insulin at the wrong time, blood sugar will drop.

         Certain factors make you more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. They

are old. These include age 45 or older, having a family member such as a

parent, sister, or brother with diabetes, and ethnicity. In addition, health and

medical history-related risk factors such as pre-diabetes, cardiovascular disease,

hypertension, being overweight or obese, having a baby weighing more than 9

pounds, gestational diabetes during pregnancy, polycystic ovary syndrome

(PCOS), and depression. Moreover, daily habits and lifestyles are also involved

in increasing the risk of diabetes. These are getting little or no exercise,

Smoking, Stressed, Sleeping too little or too much.

      Usually, several tests are done to confirm the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

They are HbA1c. FBS and OGTT. HbA1c measures the average value of blood

glucose over the past 2 or 3 months. and by FBS Fasting plasma glucose levels

were measured. This is a rapid blood sugar test that measures blood glucose

levels after fasting for 8 hours before the test. The Oral Glucose Tolerance Test

(OGTT), tests your blood glucose before and 2 hours after drinking something

sweet to see how the body deals with sugar.

         Medication alone is not enough to control type 2 diabetes. It should also

 include lifestyle changes. Losing weight and eating healthy are among these.

There is no specific diet for type 2 diabetes, but eating a low-calorie diet,

reducing refined carbohydrates, especially sweets, adding vegetables and

fruits to the diet, and getting more fiber are recommended for people with

type 2 diabetes. Getting 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity every day,

walking, cycling and swimming or anything that gets your heart rate up can be

done as an exercise. One important thing to note here is that if you are taking

medication to lower your blood sugar, you should eat a snack before a workout.

Another important thing is to monitor your blood sugar level regularly. You

need to check your blood sugar levels, especially if you take insulin.

         If lifestyle changes do not reach target blood sugar levels, medication is

needed. The most common medications for type 2 diabetes are: Metformin

Sulfonylureas, Meglitinides, Thiazolidinediones, DPP-4 inhibitors, GLP-1

receptor agonists, SGLT2 inhibitors, GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonists, and

insulin.

       Over time, uncontrolled high blood sugar levels can cause additional health

problems. Those are heart diseases and stroke, kidney failure, retinopathy,

neuropathy, skin diseases and infections, miscarriages, hearing problems,

Alzheimer’s disease, and depression.

        Accordingly, the best way to avoid these complications is to control type 2

diabetes well. For that, take your diabetes medications or insulin on time, check

your blood sugar regularly, eat right, and don't skip meals.