Diabetes Warning Signs You Should Know

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1 in 3 Americans will develop diabetes sometime in their lifetime. Currently over thirty-eight million people of all ages or about 11.6% of the population have diabetes. Furthermore, ninety-eight million adults (about 38%) have prediabetes, which means their blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis. The extent to which diabetes affects so many Americans makes it the most expensive chronic condition in the country. [1]

Understanding diabetes

To look for early warning signs of diabetes, you need to understand the role of glucose in your body. Your cells depend on glucose as their primary source of energy. Your body breaks down the carbohydrates that you eat into glucose and releases it into your bloodstream. The glucose, in turn, raises your blood sugar levels. The increase in blood sugar is a signal for your pancreas to release insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. Insulin moves glucose from your bloodstream into your cells. When the pancreas fails to do its job in producing and regulating insulin to transform food into accessible cell energy

Type 1 versus Type 2 diabetes

Type 1 is a chronic autoimmune disease. The immune system mistakes the body’s own healthy cells as foreign invaders. In response, the immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. With the destruction of these cells, the body is unable to produce insulin. Diet and lifestyle do not cause Type 1 diabetes. Genetic and environmental factors may cause the development of Type 1 diabetes. [2]

With Type 2 diabetes, the body cannot use insulin correctly and sugar builds up in the blood. Type 2 is more common than Type 1, accounting for 90 to 95% of all cases.[3] Type 2 can occur in people of all ages but occurs more often in older individuals. Being overweight and inactive can contribute to the disease.

Watch for warning signs of diabetes

There are signs and patterns suggesting that you may have diabetes. Among those diabetes warning signs are:

Frequent urination and thirst: Because of excess glucose levels, the kidneys are not able to reabsorb all the glucose. Extra sugar goes into the urine taking along fluids from the body's tissues. That causes dehydration leading to a feeling of thirst. Drinking more fluids to quench the thirst leads to more urination.

Fatigue: Fatigue is one of the major symptoms of diabetes. High blood glucose impairs your body’s ability to use glucose for energy. Dehydration from excessive urination also can cause fatigue.

Feeling very hungry: Diabetes may keep glucose from your food reaching your cells, which leads to constant feelings of hunger.

Blurry vision: Studies report that 5% of people with prediabetes have diabetic retinopathy, which happens because elevated blood sugars can damage blood vessels in the retina.[4]

Tingling, pain, or numbness in the hands/feet: The National Institute of Health (NIH) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) estimates up to one-half of people with diabetes have peripheral neuropathy. That is because high blood glucose or blood sugar and high levels of fats in the blood from diabetes can damage nerves and the small blood vessels that nourish them.[5]

Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal: Poor circulation is common among those with diabetes. Poor circulation makes it hard for blood, needed for skin repair, to reach areas of the body affected by sores or wounds.[6] Slow-healing cuts and wounds can be especially troublesome if they affect the feet. If not properly treated, foot wounds can lead to more severe complications, which can result in amputation.

Weight loss: While weight loss of a few pounds is not a cause for concern, unexplained weight loss of ten pounds or more may mean something is wrong. Such dramatic weight loss could be an early sign of diabetes. When you do not get glucose in your cells, your body thinks it is starving and finds a way to compensate. It creates energy by burning fat and muscle at a rapid pace, causing unexplained weight loss, especially with type 1 diabetes.[7]

Itchy and dry skin: Skin may start to feel dry and start to itch.

Differences in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes warning signs

Even though the symptoms of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are the same, there is a difference in how they appear. The warning signs of Type 1 diabetes can happen quickly, are severe, and people notice that they are unwell quite quickly. If a person develops Type 1 diabetes slowly, then these symptoms may take months to develop but often it is weeks.[8]

The most common Type 1 warning signs are:

·         Frequent urination

·         Constant thirst

·         Fatigue and lack of energy

·         Unexplained Weight loss

Type 2 diabetes warning signs may be mild and develop more slowly over time, especially at the onset of the disease. You may even go for years without recognizing you have Type 2 diabetes. [9]

See your doctor if you notice these warning signs of diabetes to avoid the development of serious complications.