Are you familiar with the first signs of diabetes? Learn them now.
Diabetes affects about 30 million people in the U.S. and many others are undiagnosed or pre-diabetic. Sometimes the first signs of diabetes are not readily apparent and can remain undiagnosed for a long period of time. When diabetes is not managed, it can cause a variety of serious health complications like heart disease, kidney and nerve damage, and vision loss. That is why it is important to learn how to identify type 2 diabetes symptoms early.
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First Signs of Diabetes
If you have type 2 diabetes, your body has difficulty removing blood sugar from the bloodstream and distributing it to the cells of the body. This problem causes too much sugar to remain in the bloodstream, where it can begin to wreak havoc on your health. Once you learn how to detect the early symptoms of diabetes and find that you are experiencing symptoms, you should consult your doctor and begin a treatment plan. Some of the first signs of diabetes include:
- Increased Hunger – Blood sugar (glucose) is used to feed the body and give it energy. Diabetes prevents blood sugar from getting into the cells where it is needed, so your body craves food to give it a source of energy. You may be experiencing type 2 diabetes symptoms if you constantly feel intense hunger pangs.
- Unexplained Weight Loss – Even though you may be eating more because of increased hunger pangs, you could begin to lose weight. This happens because much of the blood sugar is being disposed of through frequent urination.
- Frequent Urination – Excessive urination (also called polyuria) is a sure sign that your blood sugar levels are high and the sugar is being channeled to the urine. This process occurs because your kidneys cannot contain the high amount of sugar and must release some of it into the urine. Frequent urination, even during the night hours, is another of the type 2 diabetes symptoms.
- Extreme Thirst – The first signs of diabetes also includes extreme thirst. High blood sugar causes you to feel thirsty, and frequent urination just exacerbates the problem. Drinking is just a temporary fix and will not stop you from feeling thirsty when your blood sugar is high.
- Blurred Vision – This occurs when blood sugar levels are high and begin to affect the small blood vessels of the eye, which in turn starts to release fluid into the eye lens causing blurred vision. High blood sugar can cause serious eye diseases like diabetic retinopathy and blindness. If you experience blurred vision, see your ophthalmologist immediately.
- Nerve Pain and Numbness – The early symptoms of diabetes may include feeling a tingling sensation or numbness in the extremities (hands and fingers, feet and toes). These symptoms can be the first signs of diabetic nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy).
- Slow Healing Wounds – Diabetes affects the immune system and makes it harder for your body to heal wounds and fight infections. This is one of the classic type 2 diabetes symptoms because diabetes causes a narrowing of the blood vessels. This problem causes blood circulation to slow down, preventing much-needed oxygen and nutrients to enter the wounded or infected area to begin the healing process.
- Dark Skin Patches – One of the first signs of diabetes can also be dark skin patches in the folds of the skin (acanthosis nigricans), and often appears in the neck, armpits and groin areas. This symptom is caused by a surplus of insulin in the blood, which is a common type 2 diabetes symptom.
If you are experiencing any of these first signs of diabetes, you should contact your doctor immediately and begin a treatment plan to reduce your risk of getting more serious health complications.
Learn more about diabetes signs and symptoms at www.BetterHealthKare.com
