Diabetes Symptoms & Warning Signs

Symptoms

For many people, symptoms for type 1 and type 2 diabetes may go unnoticed until the condition has progressed. You may experience nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and weakness before you realize that diabetes is causing your problems. At this point, it is crucial that you see a doctor as possible to keep your symptoms under control. Otherwise, you could be at risk for serious complications including heart problems, severe nerve damage, and death.

Routine physical exams can identify and diagnose diabetes before the condition is out of control. A doctor may prescribe a blood test or urine test to measure the levels of glucose and insulin in your body. High levels of glucose indicate that either type 1 or type 2 diabetes is prevalent. High levels of insulin coupled with high levels of glucose suggest the presence of type 2 diabetes.

Common symptoms of diabetes include:

• Frequent urination
• Increased thirst
• Increased fluid intake
• Feelings of extreme hunger
• Severe fatigue
• Unexpected weight loss (type 1 diabetes)
• Skin irritation in the legs and genital area
• Slower healing of superficial wounds

Blurred vision is another common symptom of diabetes. When blood glucose levels are high for an extended period of time, the shape of the lens of the eye can change and result in vision changes.

The symptoms for type 2 diabetes develop more slowly than the symptoms for type 1 diabetes. With type 2 diabetes, the symptoms may start to appear when people become older. You may notice that your symptoms disappear or improve when you change your diet or begin exercising. Even though type 2 diabetes is most common among older adults, young adults and adolescents are still sometimes affected, especially if they are overweight, living a sedentary lifestyle, and consuming a large amount of sugar.

People with type 1 diabetes tend to develop symptoms as children. You may, very suddenly, begin to feel exhausted, hungry, and thirsty. You might experience a frequent urge to urinate, and you may start to lose weight, even if you are not trying. Your eyesight might become blurry, and your feet might develop a tingling sensation or numbness. Many people with type 1 diabetes are hospitalized when they are first diagnosed with the condition because the symptoms are so severe.

If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and are taking insulin, you are at risk of developing low blood sugar. The symptoms of this condition include headaches, hunger, palpitations, trembling, sweating, and weakness. If you start to feel these symptoms, your blood sugar level might drop below 70, becoming dangerously low.

If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and your blood sugar is dangerously high, you may experience symptoms that include trouble breathing, dry skin, dehydration, flushing in the face, stomach pain, and nausea.

Warning Signs

When your body fails to produce insulin properly, you may feel weak and exhausted. The glucose will remain outside of tissue cells in the bloodstream, and you will feel tired because your body is not processing energy correctly.

If your vision is blurred, then you might have sustaining levels of high glucose levels in the bloodstream. Neurological damage can also occur as a result of diabetes. When glucose levels continue to remain high for a number of years, irreversible nerve damage can occur.

You can tell whether you have nerve damage if you start to experience tingling and numbness in the hands, legs, and feet. Numbness can cause problems by increasing your risk of injury and infection. You may cut yourself and developing an infection without noticing. You may not be able to notice heat or cold.

People with diabetes also develop foot problems. Your skin might change color, and you may develop calluses that eventually become ulcers. Poor circulation is another problem that can make it difficult for you to fight infections. If you have open sores, you can develop severe infections. Some diabetes patients, when they develop infections, need surgery to amputate the affected limbs.

If you have diabetes, it is important to be under the care of a doctor. If you start to develop any abnormal symptoms, you should consult a medical professional as soon as possible to prevent your symptoms from becoming serious.