If you want to see more scientifically accurate 3D medical images, subscribe to our channel: /nucleushealthvideose MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar level is too high. After you eat foods containing carbohydrates, chemicals in your small intestine break them down into simple sugar molecules called glucose. Cells lining your small intestine then absorb the glucose, which passes into your bloodstream. When blood reaches your pancreas, beta cells in your pancreas detect the increased glucose levels. The beta cells release insulin into your bloodstream to lower glucose levels. As blood circulates through your body, insulin and glucose move out of the bloodstream into your tissues to reach your body's cells. Most cells in your body have certain receptors on their surface that bind to circulating insulin. Insulin acts like a key to a lock to open the cell so that circulating glucose can enter the cell. Now your cells can use the glucose to produce the energy they need to function properly. If you have type 2 diabetes, then your pancreas doesn't make enough insulin. Your body's cells resist its effects, or both. If you have insulin resistance, your insulin can't open your cells to let glucose in because the locks, called receptors, are abnormal or missing. As a result, glucose is unable to get into your cells. Glucose builds up in your bloodstream in a condition called hyperglycemia. To compensate for the hyperglycemia, your pancreas makes more and more insulin. Your beta cells work overtime to keep up with the demand. But they gradually lose the ability to make enough insulin. Because of hyperglycemia and a lack of insulin, you may experience the classic symptoms of diabetes: excessive appetite and thirst, increased urine output, and unexplained weight loss. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes that may occur over time include fatigue, recurrent infections, vision changes, itching and a tingling or crawling sensation on the skin. Life-threatening complications of type 2 diabetes include diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome, and hypoglycemia. If hyperglycemia is not treated, diabetic ketoacidosis can occur. Because there is no longer enough insulin circulating in the blood, the cells do not receive the glucose they need for energy. As a result, the blood turns to fats and proteins as an alternative energy source. During the process of breaking down fats, certain byproducts known as ketone bodies build up in the blood, leading to a condition called ketosis. If ketone bodies build up to dangerously high levels in the bloodstream, you can develop diabetic ketoacidosis, or CDA, which can lead to coma and death. Another complication that results from untreated hyperglycemia is called hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome, or NCHS. As insulin deficiency continues, your blood glucose level rises. In response, your kidneys filter the excess glucose out of your blood into your urine, along with large amounts of water. Unless you consume large amounts of water, your kidneys will not be able to keep up with the demand to remove glucose from your bloodstream and dilute it in your urine sufficiently. As a result, your blood will be much more concentrated than normal. This is a condition called hyperosmolarity. Hyperosmolarity draws water from your body tissues into your bloodstream, causing severe dehydration that can lead to hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome. Neurological symptoms such as seizures and coma may occur. If you take too much diabetes medication, you may experience an acute complication called hypoglycemia or insulin shock. Too much insulin or oral hyperglycemic medication causes too much glucose to be in the cells, leaving not enough in the bloodstream. Some organs, such as the brain, need a constant supply of energy to function properly. Because the brain's energy source is glucose, it is the first organ affected by low glucose levels. When brain cells, called neurons, have a high glucose requirement, they begin to malfunction, causing symptoms such as nervousness, tremors, and confusion. ANH11055