Type 2 diabetes: the overview – common, but often manageable

Affected worldwide – and in many cases well manageable.

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic metabolic condition in which blood sugar is permanently elevated. Several hundred million people worldwide are affected, and over 95% of all diabetes cases are type 2.¹ Unlike type 1 diabetes (an autoimmune disease), type 2 is strongly linked to lifestyle and predisposition.

How type 2 diabetes develops

Usually three factors act together: insulin resistance (cells respond more weakly to insulin), insulin production by the pancreas declining over time, and disrupted regulation of the hormone glucagon, which makes the liver release too much sugar.² Together these lead to permanently elevated blood sugar.

Fig. 1: Type 2 diabetes usually arises from the interplay of insulin resistance, declining insulin production and disrupted liver sugar release.

What the signs are

Type 2 diabetes often develops insidiously and goes unnoticed for a long time. Possible signs are strong thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, food cravings, poorly healing wounds or blurred vision.³ Because the symptoms are non-specific, the diagnosis is often made by chance in a blood test.

Why good values pay off

Permanently high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and nerves over time. We distinguish microvascular complications (eyes, kidneys, nerves) and macrovascular complications (heart, vessels, stroke).² The good news: early diagnosis and good blood-sugar values markedly lower this risk.

Fig. 2: Areas that can be harmed by persistently high blood sugar – and that benefit from good values.

What you can do

The basis of every treatment is lifestyle: nutrition, movement, weight management and sleep.² If that’s not enough, effective medications are available (such as metformin, SGLT2 inhibitors or GLP-1 receptor agonists), which lower blood sugar and in part protect the heart and kidneys.² With an early diagnosis and substantial weight loss, remission is even possible in some cases.

Key takeaways

Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes (over 95% of cases).
Cause: insulin resistance + declining insulin production + disrupted liver sugar release.
Signs are often insidious: thirst, frequent urination, fatigue.
Persistently high values can damage eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and vessels.
Lifestyle is the basis; medications and sometimes remission add to it.

Article ID: SWF-W-009Please quote this ID for corrections or additions.

Sources

Sources as of: 21 Jul 2026.

Type 2 diabetes epidemiology (>95% of cases), pathophysiology overview. Review. mdpi.com (opens in a new window)
Pathophysiology (insulin resistance, beta-cell decline, glucagon), complications and treatment. Reference. emedicine.medscape.com (opens in a new window)
Symptoms and non-specific presentation of type 2 diabetes. Reference/overview. emedicine.medscape.com (opens in a new window)