Diabetes Type 2 is a chronic condition that affects the way the body breaks down sugar, or glucose, and converts it into energy. Patients with Diabetes Type 2 are either resistant to the effects of insulin, a hormone that regulates glucose, or do not produce enough insulin to maintain a steady glucose level.
Diabetes Type 2 was once known as adult-onset or noninsulin dependent diabetes ' to differentiate it from Diabetes Type 1 or Juvenile Diabetes; however, more and more children have been diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2 due to a rise in childhood obesity. Diabetes Type 2 is caused mostly by lifestyle factors combined with genetics. Studies have shown that obesity contributes to approximately 55% of Diabetes Type 2. This is in contrast to Diabetes Type 1, which is believed to occur because the body's immune system attacks the pancreas and damages the cells that produce insulin. Diabetes Type 1 is not preventable and causes the pancreas to completely shut down and stop producing insulin entirely. Diabetes Type 2 can often be prevented and causes an inefficient production of insulin. Diabetes Type 1 must be treated with insulin or it is fatal. Diabetes Type 2 is treated in a multitude of ways, including diet, exercise, weight loss, and medications, and, in the worst cases, insulin therapy. In both cases, if left untreated, patients will experience high blood sugar (an excess of glucose in the bloodstream) which leads to severe, potentially fatal symptoms.
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