Fast Five Quiz: Hyperglycemia Associated With Type 2 Diabetes

Anne L. Peters, MD; Romesh Khardori, MD, PhD

Disclosures

June 28, 2023

Figure 1. A glucose meter.

Insulin resistance is an impaired biological response to insulin, producing an imbalance in glucose metabolism. This leads to a compensatory increase in the production of insulin that may result in numerous metabolic consequences, including chronic hyperglycemia, which in turn triggers an inflammatory response that may result in cell damage.

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by a combination of peripheral insulin resistance and inadequate insulin secretion. However, the pathophysiologic role of excess glucagon cannot be underestimated. Type 2 diabetes is an islet paracrinopathy in which the reciprocal relationship between the glucagon-secreting alpha cell and the insulin-secreting beta cell is lost, leading to hyperglucagonemia followed by the resultant hyperglycemia.

As glucose tolerance progresses from normal to abnormal, postprandial blood glucose levels increase first. In time, fasting hyperglycemia develops.

Learn more about the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes.

Comments

3090D553-9492-4563-8681-AD288FA52ACE
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.

processing....