Figure 1. Insulin resistance.
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 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.
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Cite this: Romesh Khardori, Anne L. Peters. Fast Five Quiz: Type 2 Diabetes Presentation and Diagnosis - Medscape - Dec 20, 2022.
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