Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about Type 2 Diabetes.

And you can find written notes on this topic at 0.0.com slash type 2 diabetes

or in the endocrinology section of the zero to finals medicine book. So let's get straight

into it. Type 2 diabetes is a condition where a combination of insulin resistance and reduced

insulin production cause persistently high blood sugar levels.

Let's start with the basic simplified pathophysiology.

Repeated exposure to glucose and insulin make the cells of the body more resistant to the

effects of insulin.

Remember that insulin is essential for the cells of the body more resistant to the effects of insulin. Remember that insulin is essential for the cells of the body to take up glucose and use it

as fuel. More and more insulin is required to stimulate the cells of the body to take the

glucose up and use it. Over time the pancreas which produces the

insulin becomes fatigued and damaged by producing so much insulin and the insulin output is reduced.

A high carbohydrate diet combined with insulin resistance and reduced pancreatic function leads to

chronic high blood sugar levels called hyperglycemia. Chronic hyperglycemia leads to

microvascular, macrovascular and infectious complications.

Let's talk about the risk factors.

The non-modifiable risk factors are older age,

ethnicity, particularly black African,

Black Caribbean and South Asian ethnicity,

and family history of diabetes. Modifiable risk factors are obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and a high carbohydrate diet, particularly containing lots of sugar. Let's talk about the

presentation. Presenting features of diabetes include tiredness,

...