In today's article, you will read some early warning signs of diabetes. Can you understand that diabetes, especially type 2, is a silent disease? According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 30 million people living in the USA have diabetes. And the worst part of it: 25% of them have no concept they are diabetic.
Warning Signs of Diabetes
The scary numbers cannot stop there: 84 million American people have pre-diabetes (when the blood sugar levels are high, but still not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes), and 90% of these people don't know anything about these data. Some of the signs are very subtle and take a longer time to manifest themselves. Finally, some signs of the body may indicate that one has diabetes. learn which signs your body gives:
Frequent Urination, Dry Mouth, Boosted Thirst, and Bad Breath
One of the first signs that anybody may have diabetes is frequent urination. It happens because, besides having a constant feeling of dry mouth and drinking a lot of water, diabetic people also have a lot of sugar in their blood, which isn't properly absorbed by the body and needs to be constantly eliminated.
We can also mention bad breath as one of the signs that may indicate diabetes. Especially keto breath, which happens when your breath smells like nail polish. Even with adequate brushing and flossing, bad breath remains.
Tingling and Numbing Sensations, Aching Feet or Hands
Some people with diabetes may present diabetic peripheral neuropathy, a situation that causes cold hands and feet, besides aching, numbness, and a tingling sensation. It means that the person may have lesions on their nerves, caused by the oxygen being unable to reach nerve cells. It causes a loss of sensitivity in the members and hinders the healing process.
Increased Hunger
Being hungry all the time, or having an increased hunger, may also be symptoms of diabetes. Since the body can't transport the sugar from food to the cells, and it ends up eliminated by urine, the body keeps asking for more food. With that, the person has a constant sensation of hunger.
Hyperglycemia
Even though it is more common when there is hyperglycemia, excessive hunger may also occur in cases of hypoglycemia, when there is a sudden drop in the glucose levels in the blood. In this case, the body needs food to replenish the sugar and generate the energy necessary to keep working.
Weight loss
Did you have a sudden decrease in weight, even without dieting? It may be a sign of diabetes.
Types of Diabetes
Type 1 Diabetes
In type 1 diabetes, it is common to have a loss of weight, even with adequate eating. It happens because glucose isn't used by the body, and gets eliminated through urine, as we explained in the first topic.
Type 2 Diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes cannot weight loss in the same way since there is still a little bit of insulin production. A part of the glucose turns into stored fat, and the other portion, which isn't used by the body, gets eliminated.
Extreme fatigue
Tiredness is another symptom that shows at the beginning of the disease. Since the diabetic patient can’t transform sugar into energy, glucose can't reach the cells. The body doesn't receive the energy it needs and gets tired.
Blurry vision and dry eyes
Blurry vision can be another symptom of diabetes and one that many people neglect. It happens because the excess of glucose in the blood can swell the crystallin (found in the eye's lens), reducing its capacity to focus. Additionally, it may also hinder tear production, which causes dry eyes.
Diabetes Symptoms
In this case, talk to an ophthalmologist and also talk to a doctor to investigate the chance of diabetes and adequately treat your case. Those are some of the most common symptoms that someone may have diabetes without knowing. Of course, these signs, alone or combined, may also happen for many reasons.
If you have any of these signs, do not hesitate to seek medical help and do the blood tests necessary to understand your glycemic index and start the treatment. Besides making changes in their diet and lifestyle, people who have diabetes, or those at risk of developing it, also have to exercise to get finer results in the treatment of the disease.
