The diagnosis of diabetes is made on the basis of results obtained by taking a blood sample. Usually, the first investigation carried out is fasting blood glucose (blood glucose content) (i.e. after 8 hours without food intake), which can be confirmed at a later date by determining the glycated haemoglobin (glucose-bound haemoglobin), which provides an index of the blood glucose trend over the last 2-3 months (red blood cell lifespan).
Diabetology
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus is a disease characterised by high blood glucose levels (hyperglycaemia) due to the reduced availability of insulin, the production of which does not meet the body's needs, or to a defect in its normal function, or to a combination of these two factors to varying degrees.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas (a glandular organ forming part of the digestive system, which is located in the upper central part of the abdomen), which performs multiple functions in the body, but its main task is to regulate blood glucose levels.
There are different types of diabetes, of which type 2 develops when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or if the target organs (muscle, liver, adipose tissue) do not respond adequately to the hormonal stimulus (insulin resistance). Due to these conditions, the body is unable to use glucose as an energy source, which therefore remains in the bloodstream, and tends to produce new glucose itself, contributing to the maintenance of hyperglycaemia.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is often associated with obesity (a disease characterised by a pathological accumulation of fat) of the central type (i.e. in the abdominal area) and/or visceral type (i.e. around and inside the organs).
There are several risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus: obesity, sedentary lifestyle, hypertension, age, male gender, smoking and excess alcohol.
Symptoms of diabetes
Type 2 diabetes in its initial stages may present with an increased sense of thirst and urine production, which are not specific symptoms and are often underestimated by patients, so the diagnosis is often made when complications appear.
Diagnosis of diabetes
Complications of diabetes
If diabetes is not properly treated, several long-term complications can develop
Long-term complications
Over the course of years, diabetes can lead to disabling or even fatal complications involving the cardiovascular system (angina, heart attack, stroke, peripheral vasculopathy, secondary to atherosclerosis), the nervous system (neuropathy), the eye (retinopathy), the kidney (nephropathy) and the lower limbs (diabetic foot; which, if not promptly and effectively treated, is the leading cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputation worldwide).