This article is intended to increase the nurse’s understanding of the medical and clinical importance of type 2 diabetes. It explains how the disease differs from type 1 diabetes, and then outlines two major treatment strategies used for type 2; one for the over-weight patient and one for the patient of normal weight. In its concluding section, the article then introduces a new class of drug, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonists, also called thiazolidinediones or glitazones. PPARγ agonists are currently undergoing long-term clinical trials as therapy for type 2 diabetes. After reading this article you should be able to: