Almost one million people in Australia have type 2 diabetes. It is a health condition that leads to high levels of glucose (a type of sugar) in your blood. High blood glucose levels can cause serious health problems like vision loss, kidney disease and heart disease. Read on to learn more.
Keep track of medicines and access important health info any time and anywhere, especially in emergencies.
Almost one million people in Australia have type 2 diabetes. It is a health condition that leads to high levels of glucose (a type of sugar) in your blood. High blood glucose levels can cause serious health problems like vision loss, kidney disease and heart disease. Read on to learn more.
Diabetes is a condition that stops the body from using glucose (a type of sugar) as energy.
Most of the food you eat gets broken down into glucose. This glucose moves into your blood stream. A hormone called insulin controls how much glucose stays in your blood. It does this by helping glucose move into your body’s cells. Your cells use glucose for energy, or store it for later use.
Insulin is made by the pancreas, a small organ near your stomach.
People can get type 2 diabetes if:
In both cases, too much glucose stays in the blood, and not enough gets to the cells.
Over time, high blood glucose levels can lead to health problems with your kidneys, heart, nerves, blood vessels, eyes and feet.
Type 2 diabetes can be treated. Treatment often involves changes to how you eat and move (lifestyle) as well as medicines.
Diabetes Australia has a calculator (click here) that can help you understand if you are at risk of getting type 2 diabetes.
People with diabetes have a higher chance of other health problems. Keeping a healthy blood glucose level and having health checks can lower your risk of other health problems happening.
Having healthy blood pressure and cholesterol is just as important as having healthy blood glucose levels. Many problems from having diabetes are because of high cholesterol, smoking and high blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure and cholesterol can stop 3 times as many heart attacks and strokes compared with lowering blood glucose alone.
People with diabetes should do everything they can to avoid these health problems. Changing parts of your lifestyle (lose weight, eat healthy, move more) and taking medicines can all help.
You might find this course (click here) by the National Diabetes Services Scheme helpful.
There are three main reasons to treat type 2 diabetes:
Having a healthy lifestyle will help you look after your type 2 diabetes and general health. You can do this by:
These actions can help you keep a healthy weight and improve you blood pressure and cholesterol levels. You might also be able to lower or stop some of your diabetes medicines. A healthy lifestyle can also help to stop other health problems.
There are free check-ups you can have each year called the Diabetes Annual Cycle of Care.
An Annual Cycle of Care helps you and your healthcare professional plan all the health checks you'll need to do each year to stay healthy. They also help your doctor or diabetes nurse find and take care of any problems early. Each cycle of care has standard checks and tests. The timing of these will depend on your health needs.
Aa part of your Diabetes Annual Cycle of Care there will be check ups on your:
NPS MedicineWise Medicines Lists are available in English, in one of 10 community languages and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. If you would like to fill the list in using your computer or mobile device, please DOWNLOAD, then open in Adobe Acrobat/Reader before entering information.
Checking your blood glucose level makes sure it stays at a healthy level.
The HbA1c glycated haemoglobin test is a blood test. It measures your average blood glucose level over the previous 10-12 weeks. This test gives you and your health professional a good idea about how your condition is going. Your doctor or nurse will order this test every 3-6 months.
High levels of glucose in the blood show up in the blood test as high levels of HbA1c. For most people, the recommended level of HbA1c is 53 mmol/mol (7%) or less. Your health professional will tell you what HbA1c target is best for you. They will give you advice about how to reach that target.
Some health problems can affect red blood cells and may affect how true the HbA1c test results are.
There are two ways that your HbA1c results are reported:
These are simply two ways of saying the same thing. For example, a result of 7% will also appear as 53.0 mmol/mol.
You can also check your blood glucose levels at home, or when you are out. To do this you use a blood glucose monitor.
This device lets you see straight away if your levels are in the right range. The monitor can also help you understand problems you might be having with the day-to-day management of your type 2 diabetes.
Your doctor or Credentialled Diabetes Educator can help you decide whether blood glucose monitoring is for you. They can also explain how often you should check and the levels to aim for. They will teach you how to use your blood glucose meter to get the most accurate results.
People with type 2 diabetes may need medicines if lifestyle changes alone do not help improve blood glucose levels.
There are many types of medicines for type 2 diabetes. Each has their own benefits and unwanted effects (side effects). Each type of medicine works in a different way to control blood glucose levels. We have more information about the different types of medicines for treating type 2 diabetes (click here).
Everyone with type 2 diabetes will need different types and amounts of medicine. These medicines may also need to change if a person becomes pregnant, sick or needs surgery.
Some people with type 2 diabetes will also need to take medicines for other health conditions.
If you take any medicines (prescription and non-prescription) make sure you:
You can use our Medicine Finder to learn more about your medicines.
Download a Medicines List or use our MedicineWise app (click here) to help you keep track of all the medicines you take. Our app has space for notes so you can keep track of health appointments as well.
NPS MedicineWise Medicines Lists are available in English, in one of 10 community languages and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. If you would like to fill the list in using your computer or mobile device, please DOWNLOAD, then open in Adobe Acrobat/Reader before entering information.
Joining a local diabetes support group can be helpful. Your health professional, community health centre, diabetes educator or local council can tell you about programs and groups in your area.
The National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) can supply diabetes-related blood glucose monitoring equipment at lower prices. They also have information and support on a range of topics. Registration is free. Ring the NDSS on 1800 637 700 or visit www.ndss.com.au.
Diabetes Australia – Diabetes Australia is the national peak body for people with diabetes
