What is diabetes type 2?

Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which you have too much sugar (glucose) in your blood. Glucose is a type of sugar produced in your body when carbohydrates and other foods are digested. It provides energy to cells throughout the body.

Normally, blood sugar levels increase after you eat a meal. When blood sugar rises, cells in the pancreas release insulin, which causes the body to absorb sugar from the blood and lowers the blood sugar level to normal.

When you have type 2 diabetes, sugar stays in the blood rather than entering the body's cells to be used for energy. This results in high blood sugar. It happens when your body can't use insulin the right way.

Over time, high blood sugar can harm many parts of the body, such as your eyes, heart, blood vessels, nerves, and kidneys. It can also increase your risk for other health problems (complications).

Some people who have type 2 diabetes may not have any symptoms early on. Many people with the disease don't even know they have it at first. But with time, diabetes starts to cause symptoms. You have most symptoms of type 2 diabetes when your blood sugar is either too high or too low.

The most common symptoms of high blood sugar include:

• Thirst.
• Needing to urinate often.
• Weight loss.
• Blurry vision.

The symptoms of low blood sugar include:

• Sweating.
• Shakiness.
• Weakness.
• Hunger.
• Confusion.

You're not likely to get symptoms of low blood sugar unless you take insulin or use certain diabetes medicines that lower blood sugar.

If your doctor thinks that you may have diabetes, you will have blood tests to measure how much sugar is in your blood. A fasting blood sugar (glucose) test, an oral glucose tolerance test, and a hemoglobin A1c test are used. Your doctor will also ask you questions about your medical history and do a physical exam for type 2 diabetes.

Your doctor will use the test results and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria to diagnose type 2 diabetes.

Two tests are used to confirm the diagnosis of diabetes.

Other possible tests

It may be hard to tell if you have type 2 or type 1 diabetes. If so, your doctor may do a C-peptide test or test for autoantibodies to help diagnose type 1 diabetes or a slowly developing form of type 1 diabetes called latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). Some rare forms of diabetes are caused by a genetic problem. You may need genetic testing to diagnose them. This includes maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY). There are many types of MODY, depending on the gene that is affected.

Treatment for type 2 diabetes will change over time to meet your needs. But the focus of your treatment will usually be to keep your blood sugar levels in your target range. This will help prevent problems such as eye, kidney, heart, blood vessel, and nerve disease.

Some people may need medicines to help their bodies make insulin or decrease insulin resistance. Some medicines slow down how quickly the body absorbs carbohydrates.

Treatment to manage type 2 diabetes includes:

• Making healthy food choices and being active.
• Losing weight, if you need to.
• Seeing your doctor regularly.
• Keeping your blood sugar in your target range.
• Taking medicines, if you need them.
• Quitting smoking, if you smoke.
• Keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol under control.

Making healthy choices is a big part of managing type 2 diabetes. Here are some things you can do.

• Keep your blood sugar at a target level. You and your doctor will set your target.
• Lose weight if you need to.
• Eat healthy foods, and follow your meal plan.
• Aim for 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. Walking is a good choice. You also may want to do other activities, such as running, swimming, and cycling.
• Check your blood sugar as often as your doctor recommends. You can use your blood sugar results to adjust your food and activities to help you stay in your target range.
• Do not smoke. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about stop-smoking programs and medicines. They can increase your chances of quitting for good.
• Take your diabetes medicine. If you take diabetes medicine, take it exactly as prescribed.