Diabetes is a disease that unfortunately has become more common with each year that passes. According to the World Health Organization, about 422 million people worldwide have diabetes, the majority living in low-and middle-income countries, and 1.6 million deaths are directly attributed to diabetes each year.
These numbers are alarming, and indicate that more needs to be done to prevent this disease where possible.
I say where possible because many times diabetes can have a genetic component. This means that people with direct family members affected by diabetes have a higher chance of ending up with this disease. Diet and lifestyle also play a huge contributory role in the development of this disease. One of the reasons driving the increasing numbers is the ease of access to unhealthy/fast food and our increasingly sedentary lifestyle.
Diabetes can affect any and all parts of the body, from the brain to the feet and while it can be managed with diet, lifestyle modifications and medication, there is still no cure for the disease. The good news is that you can prevent diabetes, or delay its complications, by detecting it early and acting fast.
It is important to get regular check ups in order to screen for diabetes. Symptoms of diabetes are not always noticeable in the beginning, but if you pay close attention you may notice some of them.
Keep reading to learn about some of these warning signs and symptoms.
Increased thirst
Feeling constantly thirsty is one of the typical symptoms of diabetes. This happens because people with diabetes have high levels of glucose circulating in their blood and this substance draws up most of the water in the body as the body attempts to balance things out. This results in a deprivation of water in your body. So as the total body fluid content decreases, this will activate the brain’s thirst center, causing feelings of thirst as the mucosal lining of the oral cavity starts to dry. This usually causes people to drink more water than usual.
Increased thirst doesn’t always mean diabetes. Other non-pathologic factors that could lead to increased thirst include hot weather and inadequate water intake.
Increased frequency of urination
Frequent urination is an early symptom of diabetes. It is also an indication that your body is working at increased capacity to tackle the increased blood glucose.
If you are persistently experiencing both thirst and urination, there might be something wrong, and that might be diabetes. Usually, frequent urination can also happen because you’re drinking too much water or liquids, which can be a good thing. But if you’re constantly thirsty and going to the bathroom, it’s best to see a doctor who might recommend a blood test to check your sugar level.
Increased hunger
As individuals, we all have different appetite levels and these levels can change. However most of us know what our normal eating pattern is like so we are likely to notice if/when we start to feel more hungry than usual.
Taken by itself, increased hunger is a very non specific, but when coupled with increased thirst and urination, the three symptoms are considered the hallmark symptoms of diabetes. (Polyphagia, polydipsia, polyuria)
The best way to check if there is any cause for concern is to get a blood test.
Blurred vision
This is a more delayed complication of diabetes. When blood sugar levels remain high for long periods of time, the blood vessels which carry this sugar full blood around the body start to get affected. In the eyes, this may lead to damage in the blood vessels to the tissue at the back of the eye (the retina) this is known as diabetic retinopathy and may present with floaters, blurred vision, dark areas of vision and difficulty perceiving colors. Therefore it is important that anyone who has been diagnosed with diabetes gets a yearly eye test to make sure there is no ongoing damage.
Unexplained weight loss
There are a few conditions popular for causing unexplained weight loss. They include cancer, excess thyroid hormone states and diabetes.
This weight loss is due to the body’s inability to use glucose from the food as body fuel. As a result, the body starts to burn body fat to use as fuel.
Therefore, as the disease progresses and the fat stored in the body decreases, it will start using the body’s proteins as fuel. This will cause extreme weakness and lethargy.
Longer healing times
If you have diabetes or are pre-diabetic, your bruises or wounds will take longer to heal.
This occurs because diabetes causes the stiffening of blood vessels, which causes less blood to reach the area of the wound. Since blood carries the oxygen and nutrients around the body, this means a decrease in oxygen and nutrient availability to the wound area. This deprivation causes the wound and bruises to take more time for healing.
These are only a few of the symptoms/complications associated with diabetes. The only way to know for sure if you have diabetes is by getting a blood test. If you or someone you know is experiencing some of the above symptoms,it may be time to see a doctor. Your doctor might request a few tests such as
- Fasting blood sugar to check your blood glucose levels when you haven’t had any food.
- Random blood sugar to check your blood sugar level at the time when the blood is taken.
- Glycosylated hemoglobin to check if your blood is being affected by high sugar levels over a long period of time (usually about 3 months)
