Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic condition that happens when you have persistently high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia).

Healthy blood sugar (glucose) levels are 70 to 99 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). If you have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes, your levels are typically 126 mg/dL or higher.

T2D happens because your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin (a hormone), your body doesn’t use insulin properly, or both. This is different from Type 1 diabetes, which happens when an autoimmune attack on your pancreas results in a total lack of insulin production.

How common is Type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is very common. More than 37 million people in the U.S. have diabetes (about 1 in 10 people), and about 90% to 95% of them have T2D.

Researchers estimate that T2D affects about 6.3% of the world’s population. T2D most commonly affects adults over 45, but people younger than 45 can have it as well, including children.