Fast Five Quiz: Type 2 Diabetes Presentation and Diagnosis

Romesh Khardori, MD, PhD

January 21, 2022

Figure 1. Insulin resistance.

Unlike the sudden and symptomatic onset of type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes has a gradual and asymptomatic onset. It is this asymptomatic nature of early type 2 diabetes that creates a diagnostic challenge for clinicians — one that underscores the importance of obtaining a thorough patient history to identify at-risk patients. Patients with type 2 diabetes may present with acanthosis nigricans and/or hirsutism in conjunction with thick necks and chubby cheeks. This can help to differentiate type 2 diabetes from type 1 diabetes.

Patients with type 2 diabetes may also present with increased thirst and urination. Some patients also experience numbness or tingling in their hands or feet or have blurred vision.

At the onset of type 2 diabetes, patients tend not to have symptoms of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

Most patients with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30 or weight > 120% of desirable body weight) at presentation, older than 45 years, and not lean in physique. A subset of patients, however, have lean diabetes (a low or normal BMI of < 22).

Learn more about the presentation of type 2 diabetes.

1 2 3 4 5 6

Next Section

Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Romesh Khardori. Fast Five Quiz: Type 2 Diabetes Presentation and Diagnosis - Medscape - Jan 21, 2022.

Comments

Commenting is limited to medical professionals. To comment please Log-in.

Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.