Food & Nutrition, Health
10 Early Signs & Symptoms of Diabetes (Type 1 & Type 2)
May
Are you aware of Diabetes and the different symptoms of Diabetes? Well, diabetes is a disease that occurs when the pancreas produces very little or no insulin.
Now, what is insulin? Insulin helps the body to store and use sugar and fat from the food we eat.
Table of Contents:
- Frequently Feeling Thirsty
- A Frequent Feeling of Urination
- Extreme Pangs of hunger
- Unexplained Weight Loss
- Fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Slow Healing of Infections and Wounds
- Numbness in Hands & Feet
- Yeast Infections
- Itchy Skin
- Diabetes differ in men and women
There is no cure for diabetes and people who have this disease have to manage it throughout their lives. More often than not, diabetes acts like a silent killer. In the long run, it starts affecting other organs creating many more problems for the patient.
If a person is suffering from diabetes, there are fair chances that the person’s kidneys would be damaged in the long run. Diabetes affects the ability of the kidneys to filter the waste from the blood. A person with diabetes is also prone to developing high blood pressure.
Diabetes also affects the skin making it dry and cracked. In more severe cases, diabetes even leads to the development of gangrene in the patient, which can have serious repercussions. In young women, having diabetes may even mean a less fertile reproductive system and thus, problems in conceiving and giving birth.
Diabetes may be a single disease but actually has various offshoots, which when raising their ugly hoods, make the patient’s life difficult.
Now don’t get scared! We have here a comprehensive list of symptoms of diabetes, which, if checked as soon as they appear, may save you the trouble of going through diabetes all your life!
1. Frequently Feeling Thirsty
Feeling thirsty even after consuming a few glasses of water? It may be one of the signals that you should get your diabetes checked by your doctor. What happens is in case of diabetes, our muscles and other tissues get dehydrated.
When the level of blood sugar rises, the body tries to pull the water in the muscles and tissues in order to dilute the sugar in the blood. This is what dehydrates the body and we start craving to drink more water. This is a symptom of diabetes.
2. A Frequent Feeling of Urination
As a result of drinking excessive water, you feel the need to urinate more. The body also tries to get rid of excess sugar through urination. So, if you feel that you are urinating more than normal, take it as a probable symptom of diabetes and see a doctor.
3. Extreme Pangs of hunger
Just like drinking, if you are feeling frequent pangs of hunger, even after just having eaten, you should take it as a symptom of diabetes and see a doctor. This happens when your tissues don’t derive enough energy from the food that you have consumed.
If the body is insulin resistant or doesn’t produce enough insulin, the sugar from the food you consume may not be entering enter your tissues to provide energy. And when this happens, we feel the hunger pang and dig into the refrigerator time and again.
4. Unexplained Weight Loss
If you have a normal diet and are still going on losing weight, you should give it a check for this normally happens with people having type 1 diabetes.
If the body doesn’t get enough energy from the food it is consuming, it breaks down other sources of energy like fats and proteins amongst others. This leads to obvious weight loss, which should be taken as a symptom of diabetes.
5. Fatigue
Sugar, as we all know, acts as the main energy provider to the body. In the case of diabetes, if the body is not able to convert the sugar into energy, we get a feeling of fatigue. This is a major symptom of diabetes.
6. Blurry vision
When the blood sugar goes abnormally high, it may lead to blurry vision. It happens because the fluid may have shifted into the eye duct. The problems normally resolve once the blood sugar level comes down.
According to the research conducted by the National Eye Institute (NEI), the leading cause of blindness in Americans is Diabetic Retinopathy. People with diabetes have higher chances of contracting cataracts and glaucoma. Blurry vision is one of the symptoms of diabetes.
7. Slow Healing of Infections and Wounds
If you are suffering from type 2 diabetes, you may have a tough time healing your infections and wounds. This happens because of the fact that more bacteria survive when blood sugar is high.
High blood sugar negatively impacts the white blood cells, which are actually responsible for the healing of wounds. Due to this, cuts, wounds and infections take much longer to heal when your blood sugar is high. This is another major symptom of diabetes.
Sometimes, if the diabetes symptoms are mild, they go undetected. In a few unfortunate cases, the symptoms actually get caught when they are on the verge of getting out of hands.
8. Numbness in Hands & Feet
The high blood sugar can affect blood circulation and damage the body’s nerves. People with Type 2 diabetes often feel pain or numbness in hands and feet which can lead to nerve damage.
9. Yeast Infections
Both men and women with diabetes can get a yeast infection. Yeast feeds on glucose, so it thrives when it gets plenty of it. Infections can grow in any warm, moist fold of skin like in between fingers & toes, under breasts.
10. Itchy Skin
Your body is using fluids to make urine, so there is less moisture for other things. Dehydration will make your mouth dry and dry skin makes you itchy.
These diabetes symptoms may include deep, rapid breathing, nausea or vomiting, stomach pain, flushed complexion, confusion, fruity smelling breath or coma, in the most severe cases.
In some chronic cases, the following complications may also develop kidney disease (nephropathy), eye disease (diabetic retinopathy), nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy), vessel damage, amputations, due to nerve and vessel damage, dental issues and skin issues.
Diabetes differ in men and women
Women who have diabetes is worse than a man having it. In the general population, women live longer than men because of the lower rates of heart disease. Yet, when a woman gets diagnosed with diabetes, they are stripped of this advantage. The risk for heart disease is six times higher for women with diabetes than those without.
Another diabetes complication is kidney disease which is worse for women than men. Read here to know more.
Numerous studies have shown about the gender differences in living with Diabetes Mellitus.
But worry not! Leading a healthy lifestyle and getting your standard tests done at a regular interval can keep you healthy and hearty and let you lead a fulfilling life.
Want to know more about diabetes, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Talk to a Possible Nutritionist today. The first consultation is on us! Click here!
