Type-2 diabetes is one of the most widespread health issues of the 21st century in the United States, affecting over 26 million people. With no signs of the rate decreasing, doctors state that patients should be aware of how to prevent the disease, and the common causes for it.

To start with the basics, type-2 diabetes typically develops when the patient’s body stops adequately producing insulin. Known as insulin resistance at this stage, it begins with the pancreas making extra insulin to compensate for the missing hormone, but is not able to keep up with the production demands over time. Insulin is vital to regulate the patient’s blood sugar levels and without it, type-2 diabetes is formed.

Type-2 diabetes is typically diagnosed when the patient undergoes a blood test, in which the doctors analyze the glucose levels of the blood. However, doctors state that there are signs and symptoms that indicate type-2 diabetes, but they can vary between patients including:

• Increased Thirst
• Increased Hunger
• Dry Mouth
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Frequent Urination
• Fatigue
• Blurred Vision
• Hands and Feet Numbness or Tingling
• Frequent Infections

In mild cases of type-2 diabetes, symptoms can be treated with more exercise, strict diet, insulin injections, and medications to help control the diabetic symptoms. Unfortunately, type-2 diabetes is a very difficult condition to manage and often gets worse as time goes on. In one of the worst cases, patients can potentially fall into a diabetic coma, which typically happens when the patient becomes ill or severely dehydrated. The patient cannot retain fluids in this state.

When the patient’s blood sugar levels go up instead of integrating into the cells, it can cause several complications. Primarily, the patient’s cells will be completely saturated of energy, and will eventually cause problem for the patient’s internal organs, including damage to sight, kidneys, and heart. As of now, the cause of type-2 diabetes is widely unknown but many doctors state the risk is increased when the patient is inactive and is increasingly gaining weight. Additionally, doctors warn patients that certain popular medications, statins like Lipitor, can increase the risk of type-2 diabetes.

Overview of Lipitor Diabetes

In particular, the popular cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor has become known to patients and the medical community for allegedly causing type-2 diabetes. While this alleged correlation has not been conclusively proven, many experts do agree on a central hypothesis. Scientists speculate that statin drugs like Lipitor disable the actual function that produces insulin in the pancreas, and also reduce the body’s sensitivity to insulin.

Lipitor was declared the best-selling drug in pharmaceutical history soon after its release in 1996. Despite of how long it has been on the market, it has only been recently discovered that statin drugs like Lipitor may be linked to type-2 diabetes. However Lipitor’s warning label does not specifically mention the possibility of type-2 diabetes, only mentioning possible changes in blood-sugar levels. This has led to a massive litigation movement against Lipitor’s manufacturer, Pfizer, for failing to protect their consumers from Lipitor side effects.

Overall Lipitor type-2 diabetes is a devastating condition, with experts encouraging the public to educate themselves as much as possible. This includes pharmaceutical companies providing sufficient warnings on their product labeling.