The most common form of diabetes is type 2 diabetes. About 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes have type 2. When it is first diagnosed, your pancreas is usually producing enough insulin, but for unknown reasons your body cannot use the insulin effectively, a condition called insulin resistance. Eventually, insulin production decreases. The result is the same as for type 1 diabetes—glucose builds up in your blood and your body cannot make efficient use of its main source of fuel.

This form of diabetes is most often associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes, previous history of gestational diabetes, physical inactivity, and certain ethnicities. Maintaining a reasonable body weight and being physically active may help prevent development of type 2 diabetes. Blood sugar screenings can help detect the disease and lead to earlier treatment.

Symptom onset is not as sudden as in type 1 diabetes, and you may have no symptoms at all.

Symptoms include:

• Fatigue
• Frequent urination
• Increased thirst and hunger
• Weight loss
• Blurred vision
• Slow healing of wounds or sores
• Frequent infections, such as skin, gum or bladder
• Tingling/numbness in the hands/feet.