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Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes affects about 300,000 Queenslanders, and another 60 people are diagnosed with the condition in the state each day. Around Australia, 1.7 million people have diabetes and another 2 million people are likely to have pre-diabetes, meaning they are at risk of developing the disease later in life.

After anxiety and depression, the disease accounts for the greatest number of years of life lost due to disability in the Queensland population.

Queenslanders can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by making positive lifestyle changes such as exercising, having a healthy diet and watching their weight. You can find out about:

What is it?

Type 2 diabetes occurs when insulin stops working properly in the pancreas to allow a simple sugar—glucose—to enter tissues and organs in the body and be used for energy. The cells of the body react, and glucose levels build up. Over time, the damage that is caused in the body can result in serious health complications.

Diabetes is:

  • the leading cause of blindness for people under the age of 60
  • the leading cause of non-trauma related lower limb amputation.

It can predispose people to cardiovascular diseases including heart disease and stroke, and is also associated with kidney disease and nerve damage.

Pregnant women and their babies can experience negative health effects from diabetes. More information about diabetes and pregnancy is available in the report Diabetes in pregnancy: its impact on Australian women and their babies published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

What are the symptoms and risk factors?

Some people with type 2 diabetes don't have any symptoms, and are diagnosed only after experiencing a related health problem, such as loss of vision, a heart attack or a foot ulcer. Other people with type 2 diabetes experience symptoms such as:

  • excessive thirst and urination
  • weakness and fatigue
  • muscle cramps
  • blurred vision
  • dizziness
  • irritability and mood swings
  • skin infections and slow healing of wounds
  • tingling or numbness in the feet.

Some risk factors for type 2 diabetes can't be controlled, such as having gestational diabetes in pregnancy, and ethnicity, age and family history. However, you can greatly reduce your risk of developing pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Risk factors include:

  • being overweight
  • not exercising
  • having poor eating habits
  • having high blood pressure
  • having high cholesterol
  • being a smoker.

Diabetes Australia - Queensland has an online screening tool that you can use to assess your risk of type 2 diabetes.

How can I get help?

If you think you may have pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, you can contact your local GP to organise screening tests. If you have type 2 diabetes, a range of professionals can help you to manage your health over the longer term, including:

  • your GP
  • diabetes educators such as nurses, dieticians, podiatrists or pharmacists with a special interest in diabetes
  • exercise professionals, such as a physiotherapist or a personal trainer
  • optometrists and opthalmologists
  • counsellors and psychologists
  • other professionals that can help meet your personal healthcare needs.

If you have diabetes and would like support for your mental health and wellbeing, you can read our information for adults and children and young people.

People with diabetes can also register with the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS). The NDSS provides essential supplies for people with diabetes. In Queensland, more than 200 pharmacies and health centres distribute NDSS products. Information about NDSS outlets in Queensland is available online, or you can call Diabetes Australia - Queensland on 1300 136 588 to find an outlet near you.

What about type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is different to type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes. With type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin as a result of damage to the immune system. Up to 25,000 Queenslanders have type 1 diabetes, and it can affect people at any stage of life.

Gestational diabetes occurs in about 5% of pregnancies. For the majority of affected women, it disappears after birth, but it also increases a woman's risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes and mental health

An Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report shows the link between diabetes and poor mental health and wellbeing. More than 40% of adults with diabetes in Australia report having medium, high or very high levels of psychological distress.

A higher percentage of people with diabetes who receive hospital treatment also report having a related mental health condition, such as depression or dementia.

Licence
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0)
Last updated:
22 April 2013

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