Diabetes  mellitus  type 2 or type 2 diabetes is a disease  that is characterized by high blood glucose in the context of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency.  While it is often initially managed by increasing exercise and dietary modification, medications and external insulin injection  are typically needed as the disease progresses. There are an estimated 28 million people in the U.S with diabetes 90% of whom are type 2. With prevalence rates doubling between 1990 and 2005, Centre Of Disease Control And Prevention  has characterized the increase as an epidemic.

Traditionally considered a disease of adults, type 2 diabetes is increasingly diagnosed in children in parallel to rising obesity rates due to alterations in dietary patterns as well as in life styles during childhood. This is more to do with the high calorie fast food culture, children & teenagers being glued for hours and hours to computers, television and video games.

Unlike type 1 diabetes, there is very little tendency toward ketoacidosis in type 2 diabetes . Ketoacidosis is a type of metabolic acidosis which is caused by high concentrations of ketone bodies, formed by the breakdown of fatty acids and the deamination of amino acids.  The main reason to worry about the Diabetes Type 2 is the secondary complications that bis associated with high glucose levels in the blood. Prolonged high glucose levels ion blood can lead to severe and irreparable damage to kidneys, heart, eyes and limbs.

In case of Type 2 Diabetes there are hardly any visible symptoms. In many cases one gets to know that he/she has diabetes only after being screened for smoother ailments or for routine medical insurance check up.

Early symptoms may be nothing more than chronic fatigue, generalized weakness and malaise (feeling of unease). Excessive urine production, excessive thirst and increased fluid intake are also some of the symptoms.  Blurred vision, unexplained weight loss, lethargy, Itching of external genitalia and excessive bowel movements are also some of the other common symptoms.

Diabetes is a serious disease. Every day in America: · 230 people with diabetes undergo amputation; · 120 people enter end-stage kidney disease programs; and · 55 people go blind from diabetes.But, research studies have shown that people with diabetes can greatly reduce their risk of complications. For example, new cases of adult blindness are up to 90 percent preventable with regular doctor visits and proper screening and care. The future is a daunting place for anyone. For children with diabetes, it promises complications their peers have never considered. These children already know the day-to-day challenges of living with a chronic disease.Diabetes affects every organ system in the body. It is a leading cause of kidney failure, adult blindness, nontraumatic amputations, nerve damage, stroke and heart attack.Diabetes kills one American every three minutes

New ways of treating diabetes can reduce the risk of severe complications, officials of the American Diabetes Association said.`Implementing the new standards should enable many more people with diabetes to lower their blood sugar levels closer to normal and reduce their risk of potentially life-threatening complications.

A noninvasive tool that measures the skin’s autofluorescence could help doctors determine whether people with diabetes are beginning to develop serious complications, according to a study published in the November issue of Diabetes Care. Researchers in the Netherlands found that illuminating a patient’s lower arm with a fluorescent tube accurately reflects vascular damage caused by the accumulation of advanced glycosylation end products

People with a common type of diabetes can significantly delay the onset or progression of serious complications by increasing insulin injections and tightly controlling their blood sugar level, diet and exercise, a new report indicates.Doctors called it the most important discovery for diabetics since insulin.”Until a cure for diabetes is eventually developed, it will, in fact, revolutionize treatment recommended for all patients with diabetes.People with the most severe form of diabetes can significantly delay serious complications through unusually intense control of their blood sugar levels, according to a landmark study released Sunday.Intensive treatment appeared to delay the onset of complications and slow their progression when compared with a more standard regimen for controlling blood sugar, said Dr. Phillip Gorden, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.