About Type 2 Diabetes Essay

Around 2.6 million people in the UK adopt been diagnosed with diabetes. roughly nine in 10 of these people carry fictional character 2 diabetes. It commonly affects people oer the fester of 40, but push asideister assume at any age. People of Afri rouse-Caribbean or South Asian livestock atomic number 18 to a greater extent potential to develop persona 2 diabetes. It usually affects them earlier in life, from about the age of 25. Type 2 diabetes is fitting more common, particularly in children. Type 2 diabetes develops when your ashes potentiometert put up enough insulin or if your body doesnt react to insulin as it should. Insulin regulates the level of glucose in your line. Glucose is a simple form of swag found in foods and sugary intoxications. Its absorbed by your body as a natural part of digestion and is carried around your body in your billet. When glucose r separatelyes your body tissues, much(prenominal) as muscle cells, its absorbed and reborn int o energy. Insulin is secreted into your roue by your pancreas, which is a gland located behind your stomach.If your cells take overt respond properly to insulin, it can cause glucose to build up in your melodic line. This is called insulin metro. If this happens, your pancreas ineluctably to produce more and more insulin to overcome the resistance and control your blood glucose levels. Types of diabetes thither are two main types of diabetes type 1 and type 2. in that respect are about two million people in the UK who down diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the common form, touching nine out of every 10 people with diabetes. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes Many people with type 2 diabetes have no open symptoms. Its often discovered during a routine medical check-up with your GP.If you do have symptoms of type 2 diabetes, you whitethorn pass more urine than usualSee more My Writing Process Essaybe constantly thirstyhave unexplained weight lossbe extremely tiredhave blurred visionhave antsy skin around your genitals or get regular infections, such(prenominal) as thrushnotice that wounds such as cuts heal slowlyIf you have any of these symptoms, see your GP. nitially, some people find they dont have any symptoms. So if you think you whitethorn be at risk of type 2 diabetes, speak to your GP about having a screening blood runnel.Complications of type 2 diabetes If type 2 diabetes isnt diagnosed or controlled properly, you can develop blood glucose levels that are either to a fault heights (hyperglycaemia) or in addition low (hypoglycaemia). Hyperglycaemia If type 2 diabetes is poorly controlled or you get an infection, glucose can build up in your blood and rise to high levels. This can cause you tobe thirstypass urine excessivelyhave blurred vision scent tiredVery rarely, if you experience dehydrated and your blood glucose rises to very high levels, you can develop a condition called hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state. This can cause you to become drowsy an d potentially unconscious. Hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state is a medical emergency and packs to be treated in hospital. In the long-term, uncontrolled high blood glucose levels can increase your risk ofkidney failureblindnessnerve priceheart diseasestrokeHypoglycaemia just abouttimes, if your medication is too sloshed or you miss a meal, your blood glucose levels can become too low (hypoglycaemia). This only happens if youre taking certain medicines such as gliclazide (or others of the same type), repaglinide or insulin (of any type). If your blood glucose is low, you may go pale, liveliness sweaty and become confuse. If you develop hypoglycaemia, its outstanding to eat or drink something containing glucose, for example fruit juice or some sweets.Causes of type 2 diabetesThere are several risk factors that make you more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, including if youare overweight or grave in particular, if youre an apple shape with lots of fat around your abdomen (tummy )have a close family member with the conditionare of African-Caribbean or South-Asian originare over 40 your risk increases with agehave high blood pressure or have had a heart attack or strokedont recital regularlyhave severe mental health problemsare a womanhood and have polycystic ovary syndrome and are overweightare a woman and have had diabetes that developed during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) If you have a condition such as impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glycaemia, this nitty-gritty the level of glucose in your blood is naturally higher than normal and youre more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.Diagnosis of type 2 diabetesYour GP bequeath ask about your symptoms and examine you. He or she may also ask about your medical history. You may get hold of to have some of the by-line tests.Urine test. You will need to give a sample to be well-tried for glucose. Fasting blood glucose test. You will have a sample of blood taken from your offshoot to test for glucose. You will need to fast overnight before having this test. You may have this with a glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1C) test. HbA1C is a protein that is produced when you have high blood glucose levels over a long period of time. Glucose tolerance test. This may be needed if your fasting blood glucose test is borderline. It measures how your blood glucose level changes over time after you have a sugary drink. You will need to fast overnight before having this test.Treatment of type 2 diabetesThere isnt a cure for type 2 diabetes but it can be controlled. Some people can control their condition with lifestyle changes alone. Others need to take medicines or use insulin hive awayions. Self-help By making the following lifestyle changes, you can help control your blood glucose levels. Eat a healthy balanced diet with regular meals, three times a day. Include carbohyd judge, such as pasta or potatoes in each meal.Aim to do 150 minutes of moderate exercise over a week in bouts of 10 minutes or more. This will help you to stay a healthy weight and control your blood glucose levels. Only drink alcohol in moderation and stick deep down the recommended limits. If you smoke, give up. Smoking is unhealthy for everyone, but its especially important to stop if you have diabetes because you al trainy have an increased risk of exploitation circulatory problems and cardiovasculardisease.Oral medicinesIf lifestyle changes alone dont keep your blood glucose levels under control, you may be prescribed medicines. Some examples are listed below. Metformin take a leaks by reducing the amount of glucose that gets released into your bloodstream from your liver. It also improves the way glucose is used by your muscles. Gliclazide, glipizide, glimepiride and tolbutamide help your pancreas to produce more insulin. Repaglinide and nateglinide also help your pancreas to produce more insulin, but give-up the ghost more quickly and last for a shorter time. Acarbose lowers your blood glucose by slow down the rate at which some carbohydrates are absorbed by your body. Pioglitazone reduces your bodys resistance to insulin.Sitagliptin, saxagliptin and vildagliptin help your body to produce more insulin at mealtimes. These medicines are usually taken between one and three times a day.InjectionsYou may be prescribed other medicines such as exenatide or liraglutide. These medicines are given by injection and work by helping your body to make more insulin when its needed. They can also reduce your appetite and help you lose weight. If lifestyle changes and medicines cant keep your blood glucose levels under control, you may need to have insulin injections as well as, or instead of, tablets. You will usually inject yourself with insulin once or twice a day, using either a small needle or a pen-type syringe with replaceable cartridges. There are several different types of insulin that work at different rates and for different lengths of time.Ask your GP for advic e on which type is best for you. If you have insulin injections, you will need to monitor your blood glucose levels with a home test kit. This involves taking a pinprick of blood from your finger and putting a leave out on a testing strip. A meter will read the result automatically. Your GP or diabetes specialist nurse will fork up you how to monitor your blood glucose levels and tell you how often you need to check it. supervise your blood glucose level You may also need to have your levels of HbA1C tested at least twice a year. The test is done by taking blood from a vein in your arm or sometimes a drop of blood from a fingerprick. Its used to see how well youre controlling your blood sugarlevels.