Type 2 Diabetes

Billie Jean King. The 66-year-old tennis legend was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes just a few years ago. The news came long after a career of crushing opponents and setting records—like 20 Wimbledon titles—that may never be matched. Her personal advice for others fighting to fend off or manage the disease

Most people associate type 2 diabetes with an unhealthy lifestyle—poor diet, too little exercise, too much weight.

A person’s likelihood of getting type 2 diabetes is dictated largely by genetics. But lifestyle choices play a key role in determining when the disease manifests itself. Click the headline or title to read the complete orginal article

People who are more at risk for diabetes are those with a family history of the disease and those who are 45 years old and above. Ethnicity is also a risk factor, like those who live in the Pacific Islands region like Filipinos are more prone to diabetes. Other risk factors are obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, mothers of large babies (8 lbs. and above), hypertension, vascular diseases, and those with signs of insulin resistance such as those with polycystic ovary syndrome.

There is still no cure for diabetes. At present, patients can only control the disease, so knowing everything about it is a must to effectively manage and prevent the onset of complications related to the disease. Among the complications of uncontrolled diabetes are heart attack, stroke, blindness, diabetic nephropathy (damage to kidneys), diabetic neuropathy (damage to nerves), and erectile dysfunction.

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Type 1: Results from the body's failure to produce insulin. It is estimated that 5-10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. Presently almost all persons with type 1 diabetes must take insulin injections.

Type 2: Results from Insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with relative insulin deficiency. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Many people destined to develop type 2 diabetes spend many years in a state of Pre-diabetes: Termed "America's largest healthcare epidemic, a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

As of 2009 there are 57 million Americans who have pre-diabetes

Gestational diabetes: Pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high blood sugar (glucose) levels during pregnancy are said to have gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women. It may precede development of type 2 (or rarely type 1).

Many other forms of diabetes mellitus are categorized separately from these. Examples include congenital diabetes due to genetic defects of insulin secretion, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes, steroid diabetes induced by high doses of glucocorticoids, and several forms of monogenic diabetes.

Other references to read

Diabetes Symptoms

Diabetes in Wikipedia medical information

Diabetes in Medicine Plus

American Diabetes Association