Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM type 2) is by far the most common form of diabetes. A good nine out of ten diabetics have this type of carbohydrate metabolism disorder. The most important factors for the development are family predisposition, obesity and lack of exercise - i.e. an unhealthy lifestyle. Individuals who develop type 2 DM very often show signs of metabolic syndrome. In addition to high blood sugar, they also have high blood pressure, high levels of blood lipids and are overweight with padding, especially on the abdomen. Type 2 DM develops slowly over years. There may be no symptoms for a long time, but the high blood sugar can already cause lasting damage to organs. Many diabetes diseases come to light as a result of complications or incidentally during routine examinations. In DM type 2, preventive blood sugar measurements are particularly useful and advisable: discovered early, serious secondary diseases can be prevented. In addition, changes in lifestyle are often sufficient at the beginning to normalize blood sugar. Those affected can thus delay the use of medication that will later be necessary to adjust the blood sugar level for a long time.
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Causes And Risk Factors
Many processes in the development of type 2 are still in the dark. However, it is clear that hereditary predisposition, obesity and lack of exercise are of great importance. If both parents have type 2 DM, the risk of their children developing the disease increases to 80%. Several genes are involved in the development, but so are living conditions. As body weight increases, the shape and functions of fat cells change. In particular, the fat cells of the abdominal fat should then release other messenger substances than usual and thus promote insulin resistance. Four out of five people diagnosed with type 2 DM are overweight. They often have other cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and elevated blood lipid levels. Together with elevated blood sugar and abdominal obesity, they form the metabolic syndrome, in which the individual diseases reinforce each other. Lack of exercise promotes the development of obesity and also has the consequence that the muscle cells respond less well to insulin. There are also other factors that can influence the development and progression. These include an unfavorable diet and certain hormonal disorders.
Risk factors
The genes have a strong influence in DM type 2, but the disease is not an inevitable fate with "bad" genes: Personal lifestyle plays a decisive role in whether it breaks out. Children of parents with type 2 DM have a 50% risk of developing the disease in their lifetime. Otherwise it is around 30%. However, it is not the disease that is inherited, but the predisposition to it. In any case, a healthy lifestyle prevents the development of DM type 2. However, aging cannot be prevented; over the years, both the sensitivity of the cells to insulin and the body's insulin production naturally decrease. Therefore, the risk of developing type 2 DM increases with age.
- Metabolic syndrome: Metabolic syndrome combines four risk factors, each of which alone increases the risk of developing type 2 DM. In the combination of four, however, the negative effects reinforce each other. The metabolic syndrome is made up of elevated blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, dyslipidemia (elevated blood lipids) and abdominal obesity. A mostly slight disturbance of the sugar metabolism is therefore already present. The risk of developing full-blown diabetes is more than fivefold compared to people without metabolic syndrome. It is considered a kind of preliminary stage for DM type 2 and also increases the risk of secondary diseases and severe courses.
- Obesity: The risk of DM type 2 increases five to tenfold when body weight increases above the normal range. More than four out of five sufferers are overweight. Pads on the stomach are particularly dangerous because the fat cells here also have a negative effect on the sugar metabolism.
- High levels of carbohydrates, unsaturated fats, and alcohol are also very likely to contribute to the development of type 2 DM. The consumption of many meat products may also contribute to this because ingredients can damage the beta cells of the pancreas.
- Lack of exercise: Those who move little are more likely to become overweight. Regardless, the sensitivity of muscle cells to insulin decreases, and the likelihood of metabolic disorders increases.
- Medications: Certain pharmaceutical agents can contribute to the development of DM type 2. This applies in particular to glucocorticoids (e.g. cortisone) that are taken or inhaled. Topical applications on the skin do not increase the risk. However, other medications such as antidepressants, blood pressure lowering drugs (beta blockers), water tablets (diuretics, e.g. thiazides) and birth control pills can increase it.
- Women: In women, the risk also increases due to past gestational diabetes and a child with a birth weight of over 4000 grams.
- Other factors: In the event of a lack of sleep, stress, depression and other mental stress, the body releases more stress hormones. They can encourage type 2 DM to develop. This has been proven by several studies for sleep disorders with breathing pauses (apnea). A fatty liver (e.g. due to alcoholism) and smoking also increase the risk.
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Symptoms
Are you often very thirsty and need to urinate often?
Do you suffer from infectious diseases more often than others?
Do you keep feeling very weak?
These could possibly be signs of DM Type 2. In many cases, such typical symptoms are missing for a long time but completely or only appear very late. Then sometimes symptoms plague somewhere else, which can be consequences of diabetes. The disease is insidious because most of those affected do not notice it for years. In the long time until the diagnosis, the increased blood sugar can already have caused damage to the body. Only blood sugar measurements can reliably detect the disease at the beginning. Healthy people should do such tests regularly so as not to be surprised. Blood vessels and nerves in particular suffer from high blood sugar. Serious disorders of the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves are possible as a result. If left untreated, type 2 DM shortens life expectancy significantly. The risks decrease enormously with the right treatment and all the more so the earlier it starts. The typical symptoms, which rarely occur at the beginning, include:
- Excessive thirst
- Increased urination (polyuria)
- Weakness, tiredness, exhaustion, poor performance, dizziness
- Increased tendency to infections, poor wound healing
- Dry skin, itching
- Weight loss for no reason
High blood sugar damages many organs. In the long run, damage can occur that can no longer be reversed. Nevertheless, there are often no symptoms for a long time, in this phase only blood tests can reveal dangerously high blood sugar. Diabetes that is recognized and treated early on reduces the risk of secondary diseases considerably, which is why blood sugar levels should be measured regularly as a preventive measure.
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| Type 2 diabetes mellitus : causes, symptoms and prevention |
Prevention
In order to reduce the risk of developing type 2 DM, a few of the risk factors mentioned above can be reduced. The most important preventive measures include reducing excess weight, exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet. This alone can normalize two out of three sufferers their blood sugar. It is also advisable to have the most important blood values measured regularly – i.e. blood sugar, blood pressure and blood lipids. From the age of 45, these measurements are recommended at least every three years. If risk factors are present, it is advisable to start testing earlier and repeat it more frequently.