Type 2 diabetes affects over 37 million Americans and is the seventh leading cause of death. Unlike type 1 diabetes, which is caused by autoimmune beta cell destruction, type 2 diabetes develops through progressive insulin resistance combined with inadequate compensatory insulin secretion. The majority of patients are overweight or obese, though lean type 2 diabetes does occur. Modern management goes far beyond glycaemic control to encompass comprehensive cardiovascular and renal risk reduction. GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors — the transformative drug classes of the past decade — reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure hospitalisation, and progressive kidney disease in people with type 2 diabetes, independent of their glucose-lowering effect.
