Type 2 diabetes (mate huka) is a condition where your body cannot control its blood glucose (a type of sugar) levels properly. This can lead to a wide range of health problems if not treated.
On this page, you can find the following information:
Type 2 diabetes is common, but many people do not know they have it. Check below to find out when you need to have a screening test.
Most (80%) of type 2 diabetes can be prevented by keeping to a healthy body weight, eating healthy foods and keeping physically active.
The key factor affecting how quickly or slowly complications develop is how well or poorly controlled your blood glucose level is.
Early treatment, including having a healthy lifestyle, can help to reduce diabetes-related health problems.
If you have diabetes, know what your HbA1c, blood pressure and cholesterol are and see your doctor/nurse every 3 months or more for regular check-ups, not just when something is wrong.
Diabetes is a condition where the level of glucose (a type of sugar) in your blood is too high. The amount of glucose in your blood is controlled by several different hormones, but the main one is insulin. The organ that makes insulin is your pancreas. If you have type 2 diabetes, you have some damage to your pancreas and do not respond to insulin as well as people without diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease, which means that, without appropriate treatment and lifestyle change, it slowly gets worse with time. This is because the cells that produce insulin in your pancreas continue to be damaged or die. Your body becomes even less able to make enough insulin to balance your blood glucose.
Can children have type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes can also occur in children. Most children with diabetes have type 1 diabetes, which is due to severe damage to the pancreas so that not enough insulin is produced. However, children who become overweight can develop type 2 diabetes. Usually there is a family history of diabetes and often these children belong to ethnic groups that are more likely to develop diabetes. (Health Navigator Charitable Trust and Synergy Film, NZ, 2014)
What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes?
Many people have type 2 diabetes for years without realising it, because they don’t have symptoms.
Symptoms may include:
feeling very thirsty
peeing a lot, especially at night
feeling very tired
blurred vision
urinary infections or skin infections
itching around your genitals or frequent episodes of thrush
cuts and grazes healing slowly.
How is diabetes diagnosed?
Diabetes is diagnosed using a simple blood test called an HbA1c test. Your doctor will suggest testing for diabetes if you have symptoms that might be due to diabetes. If you are in the high-risk group for type 2 diabetes but don’t have symptoms, your doctor will also request an HbA1c test. Checking for diabetes when you have risk factors, but no symptoms, is known as ‘screening’.
Men over the age of 45 and women over the age of 55
It is recommended that all men over the age of 45 and all women over the age of 55 get tested for type 2 diabetes, even if you don't have symptoms. Testing for diabetes is part of the routine testing for heart and blood vessel disease. This includes checking your weight and blood pressure and doing blood tests for cholesterol and fat in your blood.
Men over the age of 35 and women over the age of 45, if they:
are Māori, Pasifika or Indo-Asian
have a close family member, such as a parent, brother or sister, with diabetes
smoke
have high blood pressure
have had diabetes in any pregnancy, or
are overweight (use our BMI calculator to find out if you are unsure).
If this applies to you, it is recommended that you get checked for type 2 diabetes (or prediabetes), even if you don't have symptoms. It’s easy to test for diabetes and it's important to find out, so you can take steps to prevent diabetes-related health problems.
How can I avoid type 2 diabetes complications?
Diabetes increases the risk of many serious conditions such as poor vision, heart disease or stroke, damage to your kidneys (diabetes is the top cause of kidney failure),erectile dysfunction and loss of limbs. The key factor affecting how fast or slowly these complications develop is how well or poorly controlled your blood glucose level is.
The best way to avoid or delay developing diabetes-related health problems is by keeping your blood glucose and blood pressure levels within the healthy range. You can do this by following the advice on managing type 2 diabetes below, which includes lifestyle changes and medicines.
The treatment goal for type 2 diabetes is to keep your blood glucose levels within the healthy range as much as possible. Type 2 diabetes is a condition that can be improved by changes in your lifestyle. These changes also help you if you have high blood pressure or too much fat or cholesterol in your bloodstream.
Your doctor will suggest you make changes to your lifestyle first. If these changes work, you may not need to take medication, but even if you do need medicines, you should still try hard to have a healthy lifestyle.
There are many groups and people keen to share their knowledge and tips for living well with diabetes. Diabetes NZ has branches around the country with a wide range of services, resources, groups and shops.
Credits: Health Navigator Editorial Team . Reviewed By: Jeremy Tuohy, Researcher & Clinician, University of Auckland
Last reviewed: 16 Oct 2019
How is type 2 diabetes managed?
The treatment goal for type 2 diabetes is to keep your blood glucose levels within the healthy range as much as possible. Type 2 diabetes is a condition that can be improved by changes in your lifestyle. These changes also help you if you have high blood pressure or too much fat or cholesterol in your bloodstream.
Your doctor will suggest you make changes to your lifestyle first. If these changes work, you may not need to take medication, but even if you do need medicines, you should still try hard to have a healthy lifestyle.
Healthy lifestyle to improve blood glucose control and heart health
Weight reduction – losing weight is an important target for most people with type 2 diabetes. Most people lose weight when they have a healthier diet and increase physical activity. You may also want to consider a weight loss programme.
Healthy eating – this means eating plenty of vegetables and fresh fruit, whole grains, lean meat, fish and eggs, in the right portions. You also need to eat low-fat and low-sugar dairy products, healthy oils and nuts.
Increase physical activity– aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, on most days. When possible, increase activity time to 60 minutes per day. You may start with ‘snacks’ of activity – 3 x 10 minutes daily.
Healthy heart – you are at greater risk of heart disease if you have diabetes. A healthy lifestyle and quitting smoking also help with blood pressure and cholesterol control.
Diabetes medications are started when lifestyle changes have not been successful. Sometimes, medicines may be prescribed at diagnosis if blood glucose levels are very high. Diabetes medication does not replace lifestyle changes. They are used in addition to eating a healthy balanced diet, weight loss and exercising regularly.
There are a variety of medicines used to treat type 2 diabetes – most are available as tablets. The most commonly prescribed medicine is metformin. Some people also need insulin, which is available as an injection only.
Your diabetes may be well controlled on one medicine alone, or you may need a combination of medicines, including a combination of tablets and insulin injections. Every person’s care plan is different and your healthcare provider will work with you to find the best treatment plan for you.
Insulin injections are needed if your body stops producing enough insulin. With time, many people with type 2 diabetes need to use insulin injections.
The insulin you inject is manufactured in a laboratory. It is made to mimic the action of insulin that occurs naturally in your body. It is a very safe product to take.
Insulin is injected just under your skin, not in a vein.
The common ways of using insulin for type 2 diabetes include:
Note:All the resources below are from overseas so some details may be different. Make sure you know the emergency numbers for New Zealand. Call 111 for emergencies or phone Healthline on 0800 611 116.
Note: This resource is from overseas so some details may be different in New Zealand, eg, phone 111 for emergencies or, if it’s not an emergency, freephone Healthline 0800 611 116.
Annette's dialysis story
Annette is one of over 200,000 New Zealanders with type two diabetes. Sadly, she ignored the warning signsand now is experiencing severe consequences, she depends on a dialysis machine to do the work of her kidneys.
(Faultline Films NZ, 2010)
Lisa's type 2 diabetes story
Lisa Clayton Kai Tahu/Rangitane is one of over 200,000 New Zealanders who know they have type 2 diabetes. It's estimated that another 100,000 people have the disease without knowing it. If Lisa is going to avoid some nasty complications she needs to take action now (this video is mostly spoken in Maori).
(Faultline Productions & Te Māngai Pāho, NZ, 2010)
The disease that is killing my family: Part 1
(Attitude Live, NZ)
The disease that is killing my family: Part 2
Brian Kairau can't feel his feet. Years of Type 2 diabetes has damaged the small blood vessels leaving him vulnerable to infection. Will doctors be able to save his foot from amputation?
(Attitude Live, NZ)
The disease that is killing my family: Part 3
At 52, former gang leader turned youth worker Brian Kairau has one more dream left: riding a Harley.
Multiple including local Primary Health Organisations, District Health Boards, and community organisations such as Diabetes NZ and Diabetes Auckland
Who is this for?
People with type 2 diabetes and their families
Contact details
Ask your GP what is available in your area or you can contact the organisations directly (see list below)
Regions
Living well with type 2 diabetes by region:
Auckland District Health Board region
Auckland PHO provide diabetes self-management classes for central Auckland from Avondale to Panmure and city to Hillsborough. Phone: 09 379 4022. Contact Auckland PHO for the latest timetable of courses
Waitemata DHB region
Comprehensive Care provides free diabetes self-management education classes in Albany, Orewa, Stanmore Bay, Ranui, Henderson and Birkdale. Phone: 09 448 0019, or contact via email: DSME@comprehensivecare.co.nz.
Counties Manukau – most areas covered – check with your GP.
East Health have a range of programmes including diabetes, weight management and more. info@easthealth.co.nz
ProCare Health Contact Self-Management Team via email: life@procare.co.nz or Ph: 09 3547770, or call or text 0275358250. (No cost to practice, patient or carer)
Auckland wide
ProCare Health has a range of self-management programmes running across wider Auckland and anyone is welcome. Contact via email: life@procare.co.nz or Ph: 09 3547770. Call or text 0273395740
Hutt Valley
Te Awakairangi Health Network provides a free Diabetes Self-Management programme for people living with Type 2 Diabetes who are registered with a Hutt Valley GP practice.
Programmes are held across the Hutt Valley region.
Contact Libby on 576 8616 or libby.s@teahn.org.nz for more information or to enrol in a programme
MidCentral District Health Board region – Diabetes Trust provide diabetes self-management education classes for the Palmerston North region. Phone: 06 357 5992, or use their contact email address. Courses included:
Access to the following regional pathways is localised for each region and access is limited to health providers. If you do not know the login details, contact your DHB or PHO for more information:
Nutrition – type two diabetics, Jennifer Crowley Goodfellow Unit, NZ, 2017 Dr Jennifer Crowley talks about nutrition and advice to give type 2 diabetics. Jennifer's doctorate in health sciences thesis topic was 'New Zealand GPs and nutrition care – perceptions, perceived competence and barriers to provision'. Jennifer is a registered dietitian, registered sports dietitian and secondary teacher with extensive experience in teaching nutrition education.
This Medcase discusses rapid escalation of treatment for poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, highlighting ideas to improve outcomes for Pacific patients.
