Type 2 diabetes

Clinically: Type 2 diabetes mellitus · also diabetes, T2DM, adult onset diabetes, high blood sugar

metabolic ICD-10 E11.9 MONDO MONDO:0005148 unverified

This describes what this condition typically looks like. It is not a diagnosis and cannot tell you whether you have it -- patterns overlap, results vary between labs, and the same numbers mean different things in different people. Diagnosis usually rests on Hemoglobin A1c, Glucose, interpreted alongside symptoms and history rather than read off a report.

unverified These explanations are written to be easy to read and have not yet been checked against a source. The ranges and measurement notes on this page show theirs.

definition unverified

Your body still makes insulin, but not enough of it, and your cells usually respond to it less well than they should. Sugar then builds up in your blood instead of being used.

Diabetes due to a nonautoimmune, progressive loss of adequate beta-cell insulin secretion, frequently on a background of insulin resistance, giving relative rather than absolute insulin deficiency. It is diagnosed (nonpregnant adults) by HbA1c of 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or higher, fasting plasma glucose of 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or higher, 2-h plasma glucose of 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) or higher during a 75-g OGTT, or a random plasma glucose of 200 mg/dL or higher with classic hyperglycaemic symptoms.

caveats unverified

Diagnosis is not made on a single reading. It generally needs two abnormal results, or one plus clear symptoms. A three-month average is harder to explain away than a single morning glucose.

No clinical version written yet.

How common it is

Roughly one adult in ten in many countries, and a substantial share of those affected do not yet know.

The typical lab pattern

What the diagnosis rests on

The results a diagnosis is actually made on.

Hemoglobin A1c	high	ref ≤ 5.7	HbA1c 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or higher, measured with a certified lab method.
Glucose	high	ref ≤ 99	Fasting glucose 126 mg/dL (7.0 mmol/L) or higher; a 2-hour glucose-tolerance value of 200 mg/dL or higher; or a random value of 200 mg/dL or higher with classic symptoms.

Consistent with it

Fits the picture, but not enough on its own.

Triglycerides	high	ref ≤ 150	High triglycerides with low HDL is the most common lipid pattern in type 2 diabetes; a lipid panel is checked at diagnosis.
HDL cholesterol	low	ref ≥ 40	Low HDL with high triglycerides is the most common lipid pattern in type 2 diabetes; a lipid panel is checked at diagnosis.

Followed over time

Tracked once it is established.

Estimated glomerular filtration rate

low

ref ≥ 60

Kidney function (eGFR, with urine albumin) is checked at least once a year in everyone with type 2 diabetes.

How it usually feels

Feeling thirsty all the time · common
Feeling tired all the time · common
Losing weight without trying · occasional
Pins and needles, or numbness · occasional
Urinating much more than usual · common

Frequencies say how often a symptom accompanies this condition — not the other way round. Most people with any of these symptoms do not have this.