Overview

Definition

Your body needs carbohydrates to keep it going. Carbohydrates, a form of energy, are broken down into a simple sugar called glucose, which every cell in your body needs to survive. Glucose passes from the small intestine into the bloodstream. Cells require the hormone insulin, produced by the pancreas, which allows glucose to pass from the blood into cells. In type 2 diabetes, the body's cells are resistant to the actions of insulin and the pancreas produces too little insulin. Glucose builds up in the blood and spills into the urine. High blood glucose levels cause the health problems, such as eye and kidney disease, associated with diabetes.

This form of diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all cases in the United States. People with type 2 diabetes usually develop the condition after age 45, and the risk for getting it increases with age. About 18 percent of the U.S. population 65 and older has diabetes. However, the number of children with type 2 diabetes is increasing rapidly along with their rising obesity rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 21 million people have diabetes and 6 million don't know they have it.

Prognosis

Diabetes does not have a cure. However, the disease can be controlled. Treatment includes dietary changes, exercise and weight loss, as well as oral medications or insulin administered through injections or pumps.

More on Diabetes Type 2

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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.