Often called adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder resulting from the body’s inability to properly use or ultimately make enough insulin, the hormone that helps regulate sugar, starches and other foods the body uses for energy.  It is the most common form of diabetes, accounting for 90 to 95 percent of all cases. Type 2 diabetes is nearing epidemic proportions in the United States as a result of a greater prevalence of obesity and sedentary lifestyles. The upswing is also due to the increasing number of older people in the population. What are the symptoms?
Many symptoms of diabetes such as excessive thirst or irritability, can seem unimportant, which is one of the reasons why the disease often goes undiagnosed. However, early detection is very important because it can reduce the odds of developing the dangerous complications of diabetes.
Common symptoms include:  

• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Increased fatigue
• Irritability
• Blurry vision

If high blood sugar levels are not brought under control via treatment type 2 diabetes (and type I diabetes as well) can lead to a number of serious complications:  

• Eye damage:      People with diabetes have a 40 percent higher than normal risk of      developing glaucoma, increased pressure within the eye that can lead to vision      loss. They are also 60 percent more likely than normal to develop      cataracts, which cloud the lens of the eye, blocking light and blurring      vision. They are also at risk of diabetic retinopathy, damage to the      retina that is the leading cause of impaired vision in the United States.
• High blood pressure:      This disorder occurs at twice the normal rate among diabetics.
• Heart disease: Deaths      from heart disease among diabetics are two to four times the normal rate.
• Stroke:      Deaths from stroke are three to five times higher than normal in people      with diabetes.
• Nerve damage (neuropathy):      This can affect the ability to feel heat, cold or pain from a foot injury      or a blister. Others may experience persistent tingling and discomfort. In      addition, the skin on the feet can dry out and crack because of damage to      nerves that control production of oil and moisture in the feet. People      with diabetes are also more prone than normal to calluses, foot ulcers and      poor circulation in the feet (the ulcers and poor circulation can lead to      the need for amputation). Between 60-70 percent of diabetics have some      degree of neuropathy.
• Kidney damage:      High blood sugar can overtax the kidneys, the organs that filter waste      products from the blood. As a result, over time the kidneys can lose their      filtering ability, causing waste products to build up in the blood. This      can lead to kidney failure. Treatment is a kidney transplant or regular      dialysis, the use of a machine to filter the blood. Kidney damage can be      diagnosed via blood and urine tests.
• Peripheral arterial disease: Here, blood vessels in the legs are narrowed or      blocked, reducing blood flow to the legs and feet. This condition      increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.