Early Signs of Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic illness that can severely impact a patient’s life without treatment. It elevates the blood sugar in the body to dangerously high levels. Recognizing early signs of diabetes allows a person to get the necessary help sooner, mitigating the chances of complications.
Diabetes is one of the most common ailments that affect the human population around the world. According to a 2017 survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control, 30.3 million adults in the United States have diabetes, and 84.1 million have prediabetes. Most people with prediabetes develop type-2 diabetes within five years if they don’t seek treatment.
Early symptoms of diabetes can be pretty mild, which is why most people fail to notice them. However, with prior knowledge, a person can pick up on the warning signs sooner.
Here are seven early signs of diabetes.
Frequent Urination
When excess sugar builds up in the body, the kidneys try to get rid of it by making more urine, which leads to a diabetic person feeling the need to urinate often, especially at night.
Increased Thirst
As the body of a diabetic person loses water due to excessive urination, it becomes dehydrated. As a result, the person feels thirst frequently and needs to have water to make up for the loss.
Increased Hunger
People with diabetes do not get sufficient nourishment from the food they consume. The body breaks down food into simple sugars called glucose, which is then used by the cells as fuel. But that glucose is not effectively transferred from the blood to the cells in a diabetic person. As a result, they always feel hungry, even after having a hearty meal.
Feeling Exhausted
One of the most obvious signs of diabetes is feeling tired more often than not. The feeling of exhaustion stems from the lack of glucose in the body’s cells. A diabetic person experiences low levels of energy throughout the day.
Blurry Vision
Routine weakness or improper diet can cause the first 4 signs of diabetes. However, blurry vision is not likely to occur due to an unhealthy diet. Therefore, blurry vision is a pretty conclusive sign of diabetes.
The excessive sugar in the bloodstream of a diabetic person can damage the blood vessels behind the eyes, causing blurry vision. Blurry vision can occur in one eye or both eyes of a person with diabetes.
Without treatment for diabetes, a patient can cause permanent damage to their eyes.
Tingling, Pain or Numbness in Hands and Feet
Increase blood sugar levels can affect the function of nerves in the body of a diabetic person, which can lead to a number of sensory issues, such as unexplained tingling, pain, or numbness, in hands or feet.
The sensations in hands and feet caused by diabetes are also known as neuropathy, and it can get severe with time and cause complications if a person doesn’t seek treatment for diabetes.
Patches of Dark Skin
Big blotches of dark skin on the creases of the neck, armpit, or groin are also an indication of the onset of diabetes.
If you experience any of the mentioned signs of diabetes, consult your doctor immediately, and start treatment.
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