How can you tell if you have diabetes? Most early symptoms of diabetes are triggered by high blood sugar.
The warning symptoms can be so mild that you don’t notice them.
Warning symptoms can be so mild that you don’t notice them, especially in type 2 diabetes. Some people don’t even realize they have the disease until after it has caused long-term damage.
For people with type 1 diabetes, symptoms usually occur quickly within days or weeks. Symptoms are also usually more severe.
Common symptoms of diabetes
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes usually have the same warning symptoms.
Hunger and fatigue
The body converts the food it consumes into glucose, which the cells use for energy. But this process requires insulin to transport the glucose into the cells.
If the body does not produce enough insulin, or if the cells resist producing their own insulin, glucose cannot get into the cells and the patient will lack energy and feel hungrier and more tired than usual.
Poor urination and more thirst
The average person usually urinates 4 to 7 times in a 24-hour period, but people with diabetes may urinate more often.
Why? Normally, the body reabsorbs glucose as it passes through the kidneys. However, when blood glucose levels rise due to diabetes, the kidneys may not be able to reabsorb all of the glucose, which may cause the body to produce more urine and have an increased need for fluid.
Patients may need to urinate frequently and the amount of urine may increase. As a result of the increased urine output, thirst may be more pronounced, which in turn leads to more water intake and more urination.
Dry mouth and itchy skin
Because the body is using fluid to make urine, there is less water in other areas. The patient may become dehydrated and the mouth may feel dry. Dry skin can lead to itchy symptoms.
Blurred vision
Changes in fluid levels in the body can cause the lens of the eye to swell. The lens loses its ability to focus because of the change in shape.
Other symptoms of type 2 diabetes
These symptoms usually occur when people with type 2 diabetes have high blood sugar levels for a long time.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae infection
Both men and women with diabetes can develop yeast infections. Yeast feeds on glucose, so an environment with plenty of glucose allows yeast to thrive. Yeast infections can be seen in any warm, moist skin folds, including:
- Between the fingers and toes.
- Under the breasts.
- In or around the genital organs.
Slow wound healing
Over time, high blood sugar can affect blood flow and lead to nerve damage, making it difficult for wounds to heal.
Nerve damage can also lead to pain or numbness in the foot or leg.
Other symptoms of type 1 diabetes
Unexpected weight loss
If the body can’t get energy from food, it starts to burn muscle and fat for energy. Patients may experience weight loss for these reasons even if they do not change their diet regimen.
Nausea and vomiting
When the body turns to burning fat, it produces “ketone bodies”. Ketone bodies build up in the blood to dangerous levels that can be life-threatening, and this is called diabetic ketoacidosis. Ketones make the person feel sick to their stomach.
Time to visit
It is important to get tested for this condition in people who are older than 45 years old or at risk for other forms of diabetes. Early detection of the condition can prevent nerve damage, heart disease, and other complications.
Please see a doctor if you generally have the following conditions.
- Stomach upset, weakness, thirst.
- Significant increase in urine output.
- Severe abdominal pain.
- Abnormally deep and rapid breathing.
- Exhaled breath has a sweet taste similar to nail wash (a sign of very high levels of ketones in the body).