Diabetes is among the most frequent health problems worldwide. Around 8.5 percent of adults in the world suffer from the disease. Type 2 diabetes is the most typical type, yet you might be shocked at how much you still don’t know about it. In recent years, ongoing research has improved type 2 diabetes diagnosis, treatment, and knowledge, allowing for better prevention and management. Here are five facts concerning type 2 diabetes that everyone should be aware of.

1. It Has No Cure

Simply explained, diabetes is a condition in which your body has trouble controlling its blood sugar levels. It’s caused by the body’s inability to produce or use insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels. Either your body doesn’t make enough or any insulin, or your body’s cells are resistant to it and can’t utilize it efficiently. When your body is not able to use insulin to digest glucose, a simple sugar, it builds up in your blood which causes high blood sugar levels.

The many cells in your body will not receive the energy they require to function properly as a result of cellular resistance, producing additional issues. Diabetes is a chronic disease, meaning it lasts for a long period. As there is currently no treatment, maintaining blood sugar levels within the target range necessitates careful control and, in some cases, medication.

2. It Is Rising Faster

According to the WHO, the number of individuals with diabetes all around the world has grown from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014, while type 2 diabetes accounts for the majority of cases. Even more frightening is the fact that type 2 diabetes was traditionally only found in adults but is now being diagnosed in a growing number of young individuals.

This is largely due to the fact that type 2 diabetes is connected to a greater body mass index (BMI) and obesity, both of which are growing increasingly prevalent among today’s youth.

3. It Can’t Be Found Easily

Many cases of type 2 diabetes go misdiagnosed due to a lack of symptoms or a lack of recognition that they are caused by diabetes. Symptoms such as weariness, increased hunger, and increased thirst might be difficult to pinpoint, and they often develop over time, if at all. As a result, being tested is really vital. Anyone over the age of 45 should be filtered for diabetes, particularly if they are overweight.

Even if you’re under 45 and overweight, you should consider being tested because obesity is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Even better, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases offers a free diabetes risk test to check if you’re at risk for type 2 diabetes.

4. Can Lead To Fatal Conditions If Not Checked

Type 2 diabetes can lead to life-threatening complications if left undetected and untreated for too long. People who do not adequately manage their diabetes are in the same boat. Cardiovascular illness, diabetic eye disease, nerve damage, kidney disease, hearing loss, and enhanced risk of stroke and Alzheimer’s disease are just a few of the significant consequences that type 2 diabetes patients encounter.

In order to reduce these risks, it’s critical to keep a constant eye on blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels. The significance of early detection and treatment, as well as a healthy lifestyle and regular check-ups, cannot be overstated.

5. High Risk For Certain Groups Of People

Although it is unclear why some people develop diabetes and others do not, evidence indicates that some groups are at a higher risk. Type 2 diabetes is more familiar in people who have the following traits than in people who don’t:

The majority of fat is stored in the midsection of overweight or obese people (as opposed to their thighs or buttock) history of prediabetes, history of gestational diabetes, history of insulin resistance, such as those with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS, etc.) inactive, exercising less than three times per week family history of diabetes, with a sibling or parent who has the condition, history of gestational diabetes, history of prediabetes, history of insulin resistance, such as those with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS, etc.)

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