Figure 1. Eat in moderation as part of a healthy diet and exercise regularly to keep diabetes at bay.
Table of Contents
Overview
Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 as it is fully known is a condition which is commonly seen in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people above 25 years old, and it requires constant monitoring for life. It is a metabolic disorder in which your body is unable to make enough insulin hormone or cannot use it properly. Type 2 Diabetes differs from Type 1 Diabetes, in which the body fails to produce insulin and this occurs early in life.
An estimated 387Million people worldwide have diabetes and 1 in 2 people do not even know that they have it. Only about half of diabetes patients have been diagnosed and only half of those diagnosed receive professional care. This is the reason why diabetes is considered to be a ‘silent killer.’
About 90% of the people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Over 4.9Million people in UK have diabetes. Around 13.6Million people are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes in UK.
You have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes if a close family member has it. More than 850,00 people have type 2 diabetes but have not realised and thus are not aware that they have it because it has not been diagnosed by their Doctor. In some people, life-style changes such as diet, exercise and body weight loss can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 50%.
Some of the common symptoms are excessive thirst, hunger, sudden weight loss, frequent peeing, tiredness, slow-healing sores or cuts, foot ulcer and blurry vision.
The cause of diabetes could be due to various factors, ie genetics (family link), obesity (high body weight), a poor diet and lack of exercise appear to play important roles in developing this disease.
Uncontrolled diabetes can eventually lead to a variety of serious complications, ie heart disease, kidney disease, limb amputation, strokes, and vision loss.
If you have a high risk of developing diabetes and notice any of the common symptoms, see your General Practitioner (GP) and get your blood sugar (glucose) levels checked. When diagnosed with diabetes, treatment may include taking various oral medications and/or injections. Some tests may also be performed for related conditions/diseases.
Symptoms
Some of the common symptoms are excessive thirst, hunger, sudden weight loss, frequent peeing, tiredness, slow-healing sores, foot ulcer, itching in the groin (with repeated thrush infections) or cuts, feeling ‘pins and needles,’ and blurry vision. If you experience these symptoms, see your GP.
Causes
In Diabetes Type 2, the body is unable to make enough insulin hormone, or the body cannot use insulin properly.
Risk factors for Diabetes Type 2 include Race (BAME), age, high blood pressure. Genetic (family history), obesity, a poor diet (high sugar, high cholesterol) and lack of exercise appear to play important roles in developing this disease.
Figure 2. Curb excessive alcohol drinking to help reduce a ‘Beer Belly.
Diagnosis & Treatment
Your GP can have your blood test carried out to indicate the sugar (glucose) level. Borderline sugar level can be controlled with some changes in lifestyle. These include the diet (low carbohydrate/ high protein), regular exercise (such as 30min brisk walk daily) and getting the body weight within the normal range. Making these changes can even reverse the condition to a pre-diabetes state.
Figure 3. See if you pass the ‘pinch test.’
However, high sugar level will require lifelong monitoring, lifestyle change, and the use of oral medication. Metformin is usually tried first and if this unsuitable, sulphonylureas. The dose of a single medicine will be increased to effectiveness (shown by lowering the glucose concentration into a normal range), before adding another oral medication for combination use.
Numerous medicines can be used to control diabetes, but what works best is different for each person and so the Doctor will see what will suit you as an individual. There are various other anti-diabetes medications available, and these may be prescribed by your GP as the condition progresses over time.
Complications
It is best to control the blood sugar level as much as possible, otherwise there could be serious complications such as heart disease, kidney disease, limb amputation, stroke, and sight loss.
Patients with Diabetes may be vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. For further details see section on COVID-19 and vaccination.
Further Reading
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-2-diabetes/
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/diabetes
Diabetes
Written by BK Date created/updated 25.06.22
Reviewed by PJ Date Reviewed 02.07.22
