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  Type 2 Diabetes Affects In Excess Of 50 Million Americans TodayType 2 diabetes, which accounts for approximately 96% of all diabetes cases and affects in excess of 50,000,000 Americans, is predominantly found in adults over the age of forty. Nowadays, however, it is also being diagnosed increasingly at younger ages, and is even being diagnosed in quite young children.Type 2 diabetes symptoms are frequently reasonably mild in the early stages and it is possible to suffer from type 2 diabetes for many months or years before it is diagnosed. It is however a potentially serious condition and undiagnosed type 2 diabetes can result in a number of serious complications including blindness, renal failure, the inability of wounds to heal and coronary artery disease. Estimates suggest that approximately one in five adults over the age of 65 in the USA suffers from type 2 diabetes. The condition is more prominent amongst, Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans and Non-Hispanic Whites and is somewhat more common in older women than men. The origin of type 2 diabetes is something of a mystery and, although it is often said that there is a genetic component to the disease there is far less evidence for this than is found in the case of type 1 diabetes. There is however clear evidence that environmental factors play a large role in the development of type 2 diabetes and this is especially true when it comes to obesity, a lack of exercise and an inactive lifestyle. A lot of people believe that type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are the same thing and that the difference lies just in the name, with type 1 diabetes referring to the disease in childhood and type 2 diabetes being used for adults. This in not however the case and, although there are a number of similarities, type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are quite separate conditions and require very different types of treatment. In the case of type 1 diabetes the body cannot produce insulin, which is necessary for the transfer of glucose (the main source of energy within the body) from the blood into the cells of the body. In the case of type 2 diabetes the problem is not that the body is not able to produce insulin but that the body develops a resistance to insulin. At present there is no cure for type 2 diabetes which is a chronic condition and treatment is thus aimed at managing the condition to lower the incidence of complications several of which can be life-threatening. Additionally, treatment is aimed at maintaining the best possible quality of life for the patient. At first, sufferers from type 2 diabetes are treated using a carefully tailored program of diet and exercise (including a weight loss program where this is required) and this can prove to be very effective in controlling glucose levels in the blood and can frequently improve a patient's sensitivity to insulin markedly. If this form of treatment does not prove to be successful, or in cases where the condition progresses, it is usually treated with a range of medication. Free Article Source: http://www.za77.org About The Author: For more information on all aspects of diabetes including the symptoms of type 2 diabetes and diabetes treatment please visit Diabetes-Treatment-And-Cure.com |