A cluster of five conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include increased blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, excess body fat around the waistline, reduced good cholesterol, and high triglyceride levels.   Metabolic syndrome is diagnosed when three or more of these conditions are present in an individual.

Type 2 diabetes is a condition where your body does not produce enough insulin, or it does not respond properly to the insulin that is produced.

This results in high levels of sugar building up in your blood stream, which leads to the symptoms and complications of diabetes. The first stage in developing Type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance. This is means that your body is not properly responding to the insulin produced by your pancreas. Your pancreas tries to make up for this by producing more and more insulin until it eventually burns out and produces very little insulin.

Signs and Symptoms

• Excessive thirst, also called polydipsia
• Frequent urination, also called polyuria
• Excessive hunger, also called polyphagia
• Unintentional weight changes (gain or loss)
• Extreme fatigue or lack of energy
• Blurred vision
• Frequent or recurring infections
• Tingling or numbness in hands and feet
• Trouble maintaining or getting an erection
• Slow-healing sores or cuts
• Itching of the skin (usually around the vaginal or groin area)
• Frequent yeast infections
• Velvety dark skin changes of the neck, armpit, and groin, called acanthosis nigricans

Risk Factors for Developing Type 2 Diabetes

There are many risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes, some you can change, and some you cannot. If any of the following risk factors apply to you, consider speaking with your doctor about being tested for diabetes.

• Being over the age of 40
• Men are at higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than women
• I have a family member (parent or sibling) with diabetes
• Being a member of a high-risk population (Aboriginal, Hispanic, South East Asian, Asian, or African descent)
• Smoking
• Being physically inactive
• Having had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
• Being diagnosed with pre-diabetes or high blood pressure
• I am overweight, especially if you carry your weight on your abdomen and around your waist

Treatment Options

Type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease and the treatment of it is progressive as well. What treatments your healthcare team recommends to you may change over time. Treatment options may include lifestyle changes, oral medications, or insulin injections.

To find out more about Type 2 diabetes visit albertadiabeteslink.ca

A common condition that impacts the body’s arteries, also known as high blood pressure. This condition puts pressure on your artery walls, making it more difficult for the heart to circulate blood throughout the body. Left untreated, this can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other serious health concerns. 

• Normal blood pressure. Blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg or lower.
• Elevated blood pressure. The top number ranges from 120-129 mm Hg and the bottom number is below, not above, 80 mm Hg.
• Stage 1 hypertension. The top number ranges from 130-139 mm Hg or the bottom number is between 80-89 mm Hg.

Stage 2 hypertension. The top number is 140 mm Hg or higher or the bottom number is 90 mm Hg or higher.

Dyslipidemia describes the presence of unhealthy levels of one or more kinds of lipid (fat) in your blood. Typically this would be high levels of LDL or “bad” cholesterol and/or triglycerides, and low levels of HDL or “good” cholesterol.

A serious condition where one or more clots form inside the blood vessels (an artery or vein) in one’s body or sometimes inside the heart. When this happens, the clot can block blood flow where it formed, or it can break loose and move to somewhere else in the body. If a moving clot gets stuck in a critical area (such as your lungs or brain), this can cause deadly conditions like stroke or heart attack.

Also known as Heart Disease Risk Assessment, which is used to assess how likely it is that someone will develop heart disease in the next 10 years. Heart disease is a general term that refers to several types of heart conditions. The most common type is coronary artery disease, which can lead to a heart attack. Other types include stroke and heart failure.

A heart disease risk assessment includes a series of questions about certain risk factors, including age, family history, and lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise. It then calculates your risk of developing heart disease in the future. Even if you feel healthy now, the assessment can show if you need to take steps to prevent or reduce your chances of developing heart disease later.