Diabetes who is most affected

Taking action on the factors you can change can help you delay or prevent type 2 diabetes. You can also take the Diabetes Risk Test to learn about your risk for type 2 diabetes. If your weight is equal to or more than the weight listed, you have a greater chance of developing the disease.

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Type 2 Diabetes. Age at the time of diagnosis. Prevalence in children and young adults. Risk factors affecting adults. Risk factors affecting children. Delaying the onset of diabetes. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Kelly Wood, MD.

Medically reviewed by Marina Basina, M. Medically reviewed by Michelle L. Griffith, MD. Insulin Resistance. Understanding Type 2 Diabetes. The use and regulation of glucose includes the following:. In type 2 diabetes, this process doesn't work well. Instead of moving into your cells, sugar builds up in your bloodstream. As blood sugar levels increase, the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas release more insulin. Eventually these cells become impaired and can't make enough insulin to meet the body's demands.

In the less common type 1 diabetes, the immune system mistakenly destroys the beta cells, leaving the body with little to no insulin. Type 2 diabetes affects many major organs, including your heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. Also, factors that increase the risk of diabetes are risk factors for other serious chronic diseases. Managing diabetes and controlling your blood sugar can lower your risk for these complications or coexisting conditions comorbidities.

Healthy lifestyle choices can help prevent type 2 diabetes, and that's true even if you have biological relatives living with diabetes.

If you've received a diagnosis of prediabetes, lifestyle changes may slow or stop the progression to diabetes. For people with prediabetes, metformin Fortamet, Glumetza, others , an oral diabetes medication, may be prescribed to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.

This is usually prescribed for older adults who are obese and unable to lower blood sugar levels with lifestyle changes. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. In , diabetes was mentioned as a cause of death in a total of , certificates. Diabetes may be underreported as a cause of death. After adjusting for population age and sex differences, average medical expenditures among people with diagnosed diabetes were 2.