You have a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus, what is the pathophysiology of this disease?

Group of answer choices

The patient has destruction of beta cells.

Alpha cell proliferation

The patient has insulin resistance.

The patient has hyperinsulinism.

1 answer

The correct answer in this context is:

The patient has insulin resistance.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is primarily characterized by insulin resistance, which means that the body's cells do not respond effectively to insulin, leading to increased blood glucose levels. While there can also be eventual β-cell dysfunction and a relative deficiency of insulin, the hallmark of type 2 diabetes is the impairment in the ability of insulin to facilitate glucose uptake into cells.