What Is Type 2 Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that's characterized by high blood sugar, which doctors refer to as hyperglycemia.

What makes type 2 diabetes different from type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes, and other types of diabetes is the underlying cause of high blood sugar.

In type 2 diabetes, the two main contributors to high blood sugar are insulin resistance and reduced production of insulin by the pancreas.

Prevalence of Diabetes

• More than 29 million people in the United States - almost 10 percent of the total population - have diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• The vast majority of those people (90 to 95 percent) have type 2 diabetes.
• About 8.1 million people with diabetes are undiagnosed.
• Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death among Americans, according to the CDC.

1 in 6 Seniors Takes Dangerous Combos of Meds, Supplements: Study

MONDAY, March 21, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- More seniors than ever are taking supplements alongside their medications, a practice that puts them at risk for dangerous drug interactions, researchers report.
More than 15 percent of older Americans took potentially life-threatening combinations of prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements in 2011, the study showed. That was almost a twofold increase from 2005, when 8.4 percent of seniors did so.
"Alongside the growing use of multiple medications, there is also a hidden, and increasing, risk of potentially deadly drug interactions in older adults," said lead researcher Dr. Dima Qato. She is an assistant professor of pharmacy systems at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Many of these interactions involved heart drugs and supplements, such as omega-3 fish oil supplements, which are more commonly used now than they were five years ago, Qato said.
To be on the safe side, patients should always tell their doctor and pharmacist about all of the drugs and supplements they are taking, or plan to take, including over-the-counter medications, she said.
"A medication or supplement may be safe and beneficial when you use it alone, but when you mix it with other medications or supplements, it can be very dangerous," Qato explained