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Condition

Type 2 Diabetes

Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases

Type 2 diabetes is a form of diabetes mellitus characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance and a relative, rather than absolute, lack of insulin. It primarily occurs as a result of obesity and physical inactivity, on a background of genetic predisposition, and its common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue and unexplained weight loss. It is diagnosed by blood tests such as fasting plasma glucose, an oral glucose tolerance test, or glycated hemoglobin (A1c), and managed through lifestyle change, control of other cardiovascular risk factors, and maintaining blood glucose within a normal range. British physician Harold Himsworth first distinguished it from what is now called type 1 diabetes in a 1936 paper describing insulin-sensitive and insulin-insensitive forms of the disease.

Facts
Condition Class
Metabolic disorder (a form of diabetes mellitus) 3
Causative Agent
Primarily obesity and lack of physical activity, on a background of genetic predisposition. 3
First Described
1936 4
British physician Harold Himsworth published the 1936 Lancet paper distinguishing diabetes into insulin-sensitive and insulin-insensitive forms, the origin of the modern type 1 / type 2 distinction.
Classification
Body System
Endocrine System 1
ICD-10 Chapter
IV: Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases 1
Communicable or Non-communicable
Non-Communicable 2
Transmission Route
Non-Transmissible 2
Causative Agent
Causative Agent (category)
Genetic / Hereditary 3
Type 2 Diabetes
Filter Results1 entry

Metformin

Type 2 Diabetes
Connections

Associated With

Endocrinology, Medical Specialties

Discovered By

Harold Himsworth, Healers
Source Diabetes Australia: 1936, A Proposal to Separate Diabetes into Type 1 and Type 2

Treated By

BaleDoneen Method, Treatments
Source BaleDoneen method (Wikipedia)
BGR-34, Treatments
Source BGR-34 (Wikipedia)
Endocrinology, Medical Specialties
Family Medicine, Medical Specialties
Gastric Bypass Surgery, Treatments
Metformin, Drugs and Medicinal Substances
Source Metformin (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
  • Also in Sport and Games Atlas: Steve Redgrave, discusses this subject there.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: ICD-10
WikipediaList of chapters, Chapter IV
Quote, List of chapters, Chapter IV
Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases
View the Source
2. World Health Organization: Noncommunicable diseases (fact sheet)
World Health Organization
  • Lead section, transmission-route statement (inferred from disease-category)
    The main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.
  • Main Types section
    The main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.
View the Source
3. Wikipedia: Type 2 Diabetes
Wikipedia
  • Lead section
    Type 2 diabetes is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin.
  • Causes section
    Type 2 diabetes primarily occurs as a result of obesity and lack of exercise. Some people are genetically more at risk than others.
  • Management section
    Management of type 2 diabetes focuses on lifestyle interventions, lowering other cardiovascular risk factors, and maintaining blood glucose levels in the normal range.
View the Source
4. Diabetes Australia: 1936, A Proposal to Separate Diabetes into Type 1 and Type 2
Diabetes Australia
  • 1936 timeline entry
    Sir Harold Percival Himsworth publishes research that differentiates between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
  • Discovered By: Harold Himsworth, 1936 proposal page
View the Source
Metformin (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationTreated By: Metformin, Lead section
Quote, Treated By: Metformin, Lead section
main first-line medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes
View the Source
BGR-34 (Wikipedia)
Treated By: BGR-34, Lead: treats Type 2 Diabetes
Quote, Treated By: BGR-34, Lead: treats Type 2 Diabetes
BGR-34 (Blood Glucose Regulator-34) is an Ayurvedic-derived product that is sold in India as an over-the-counter pill for the management of type 2 diabetes.
View the Source
BaleDoneen method (Wikipedia)
Treated By: BaleDoneen Method, Lead: treats Type 2 Diabetes
Quote, Treated By: BaleDoneen Method, Lead: treats Type 2 Diabetes
The method also seeks to prevent or reduce the effects of type 2 diabetes.
View the Source
Frequently Asked Questions

Who first separated type 2 diabetes from type 1 diabetes?

Harold Himsworth distinguished the two forms in a 1936 paper.

British physician Harold Himsworth first distinguished the two forms in a 1936 paper. He described an insulin-sensitive form and an insulin-insensitive form of the disease. The insulin-insensitive form is what is now called type 2 diabetes, in which the body has insulin resistance and a relative rather than absolute lack of insulin.

What is understood to cause type 2 diabetes?

Mainly obesity and inactivity on a background of genetic predisposition.

Sources describe type 2 diabetes as arising primarily from obesity and physical inactivity. This happens on a background of genetic predisposition, so some people are more at risk than others. This is a description of what the record holds, not medical advice.
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