Type 2 diabetes occurs most often in people over 45 years of age, but more and more children, adolescents, and young adults are also developing it. People with diabetes are at greater risk of health problems, such as heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure. From blood pressure and diabetes medications to over-the-counter laxatives, many common medications can increase the risk of dehydration. The rest of these women have a 35 to 60 percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes within 10 to 20 years.
People with diabetes have twice the risk of death from any cause compared to people of the same age without diabetes. Type 1 diabetes (formerly referred to as insulin-dependent, juvenile, or childhood-onset) diabetes is characterized by poor insulin production and requires daily insulin administration. Until recently, this type of diabetes only occurred in adults, but now it also occurs more frequently in children. People with IGT or IFG are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, although this is not inevitable.
In addition to medications to lower blood sugar, people with diabetes often need medicines to lower blood pressure and statins to reduce the risk of complications. Women with gestational diabetes are at greater risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Factors that contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes include overweight, lack of sufficient exercise, and genetics. Many risk factors for type 2 diabetes include lifestyle choices that can be reduced or even completely eliminated with time and effort. For overweight people, losing five to seven percent of body weight through exercise and a healthy diet could prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), type 2 diabetes accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in adults. Despite all the differences between races and ethnicities, most research has found that genes play a relatively small role in diabetes risk. A recent study reveals that taking a low dose of aspirin may help reduce the risk of developing diabetes in older adults. The drug metformin was found to reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 31 percent, especially in younger, heavier prediabetic adults.
