Diagnosing diabetes symptoms can be difficult in identifying at first, as manifestation of the disease is gradual. Sometimes, because symptoms can also be common to other illnesses, the real illness may be overlooked. Diabetes symptoms may vary, the list may go on and on but not everybody (diabetes patients) has them. There are even some cases that no symptoms may show on some patients.
Diabetes occurs when the body’s ability to react to insulin gets affected. The insulin is your body hormone that allows your blood sugar (glucose) to enter body cells. When too much glucose enters the blood, this leads to the elevated amount of blood glucose, which it can cause glucose spillage towards the urine. This is the primary reason why one of the most classic diabetes symptoms, frequent urination, plagues the patient.
Because elevated glucose level is beyond normal, your body cells are energy-starved and consequently leading to the damage in your nerves, kidneys, eyes, blood vessels and your heart. The increased amount of glucose appears when the sugar of your body falls too low. It then increases production of sugar. This process starts when the pancreas releases the hormone called glucagons. The stored glycogen will be converted back into the glucose by your liver and muscles.
How are diabetes symptoms diagnosed?
Diagnosing diabetes patients may vary, and is based according to the duration and range of the high blood sugar levels. Patients with type 2 diabetes are often diagnosed relatively slowly as compared to people with type 1 diabetes, to which it may take only after weeks or some months. Symptoms may also progress slowly and mildly.
Some of the most specific and common early diabetes symptoms are:
- Skin irritation and diseases
- Skin infections
- Poor skin healing
- Athlete’s foot
- Sexual problem
- Unusual vaginal dryness
- Erectile failure (to male patients)
- Premature menopause (to female patients)
- Absence of menstrual periods
- Paresthesias
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Urinary tract infection
- Blurry vision
- Malaise
- Drowsiness
- Numbness of the hands
- Weight loss or weight gain
Other more extreme diabetes symptoms are:
- Excessive urination
- Excessive thirstiness
- Dehydration
- Weight loss even with an increased appetite
- Tiredness, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting
- Excessive hunger
- More bladder, skin and vaginal infections
- Serious blurry vision
- Headache
- Muscle aches, weakness and cramps
- Acne
- Increased sexual problems because of erectile failure for men, and vaginal dryness for women
- Cessation of menstrual periods
Other diabetes symptoms:
- Gums are bleeding
- Unusual noise or buzzing in the ear
- Feet numbness or tingling
- Skin itching
- Diarrhea
- Confusion
- Depression
Complications associated to diabetes symptoms:
- Kidney diseases
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Sciatica
- Heart diseases and
- Stroke
As those mentioned symptoms might occur at a later time for a patient, the usual situation is delayed scheduling of the check-up. This is not a good idea as complications may increase over time, making it even harder to treat and manage the disease. In this case, it is extremely important to check with the doctor in as early as possible to prevent more damage to the body. Another, it is important to note that diabetes is one of the lifelong diseases, and one that does not infect other people upon contact.