Type II Diabetes

This progressive condition makes the human body resistant to ordinary insulin effects and gradually decreases the pancreas’ ability to produce sufficient insulin levels. Medical professionals are yet to pinpoint the actual causes of type 2 diabetes though it is commonly associated with lifestyle risk factors (American Diabetes Association, 2014). It also presents significant family related and genetic factors.

Nearly 90% of Type II Diabetes cases are attributable to insulin resistance (Yabe, Seino, Fukushima, & Seino, 2015). It normally develops among adults aged above 45 years though in recent years, there has been an astonishing increase of young adults, adolescents and children suffering it. Certain ethnic backgrounds and persons with a family history of the condition are more likely to experience it (American Diabetes Association, 2014).

Type II Diabetes complications generally manifest as vision problems, foot ulcers, or heart attacks. It is however, manageable through adopting a healthy lifestyle which involves weight reduction, good nutrition and regular physical exercises (American Diabetes Association, 2014). Since it is a progressive condition, many patients require oral medication or intravascular injections for insulin intake.

It takes an extended duration to manifest since insulin resistance occurs slowly. In most instances, when a person is being diagnosed with the condition, insulin generating cells are considerably impaired (Yabe et al, 2015). Easily modifiable lifestyle factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, and poor diet compel a person to have a high possibility of suffering from this disease.

In conclusion, it often exhibits subtle symptoms which most persons mistake as effects of aging. Such symptoms involve excessive feeling of thirst, frequent hunger pangs, passing more urine, blurred vision, delayed healing of wounds, general feeling of lethargy and tiredness, headaches, leg cramps, dizziness, mood swings and gradual weight gain. It has to be professionally managed to limit the occurrence of complications.

References

American Diabetes Association. (2014). Diagnosis and classification of diabetes mellitus. Diabetes care, 37(Supplement 1), S81-S90.

Yabe, D., Seino, Y., Fukushima, M., & Seino, S. (2015). β cell dysfunction versus insulin resistance in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes in East Asians. Current diabetes reports, 15(6), 36.