9 Early Signs Of Diabetes You Must Know (#2 Is So Often Overlooked)
Diabetes is sneaky. The early symptoms can go unnoticed for months or years. In fact, 1 in 3 people with type 2 diabetes don’t know they have it. 1 in 3. Most actually do experience the early signs but don’t realise or understand what they are. Early detection and treatment can have a profound impact on your long-term health. A 3-year delay in diagnosis increases your relative risk of heart disease by 29% (1). Therefore by knowing what to look for, you can take control of the situation before it takes control of you. Diabetes Symptoms In Adults and Children Diabetes is the term given to blood sugar (glucose) levels that are too high for a sustained period of time. The signs or symptoms of high blood sugar are typically the same for both children and adults. Patients with type 1 diabetes usually develop symptoms over a sudden, short period of time. The condition is often diagnosed in an emergency setting. Type 2 diabetes on the other hand progresses quite slowly. Symptoms tend to come on gradually, which is why they are often overlooked. Some don’t experience any early symptoms at all. The following early signs of diabetes are the most common: 1. Increased urination is arguably the most common A significant increase in how often you urinate (Polyuria) is a tell-tale symptom of high blood sugar. As a point of reference, the average person pees 4 to 7 times in a 24-hour period. Waking up during the night to go, even though you already went right before bed, is a common red flag. Why does this happen?: Your kidneys are working overtime to expel the excess sugar in your blood. Sugar that the kidneys are unable to absorb must be urinated out. Therefore high sugar levels leads to more urination. 2. Excessive thirst is one of the classic early signs of diabetes Drinking u Continue reading >>
How Diabetes Affects Women: Symptoms, Risks, And More
Diabetes describes a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar due to problems processing or producing insulin. Diabetes can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, gender, or lifestyle. Between 1971 and 2000, the death rate for men with diabetes fell, according to a study in Annals of Internal Medicine. This was a major coup, reflecting the many advances in diabetes treatment. However, according to the study, the death rate for women with diabetes showed no signs of improvement. Additionally, the difference in death rates between women who had diabetes and those who didn’t more than doubled. This study of diabetes in men and women presented several possible reasons for the gender differences. Reasons included: Women often receive less aggressive treatment for cardiovascular risk factors and conditions related to diabetes. The complications of diabetes in women are more difficult to diagnose. Women often have different kinds of heart disease than men. Hormones and inflammation act differently in women. The findings emphasize how diabetes affects women and men differently. Although the death rate was higher among women previously, there has been a shift in gender distribution of type two diabetes showing higher rates among men. The most current reported stats (in 2012) found that 13.4 million women and 15.5 million men have been diagnosed with diabetes in the United States alone. According to the global reports from the World Health Organization from 2014, there was an estimated 422 million adults living with diabetes. This is up from 108 million that was reported in 1980. If you’re a woman with diabetes, you’ll experience many of the same symptoms as a man. However, some symptoms are unique to women. Understanding both will help you identi Continue reading >>
15 Warning Signs Of Diabetes
Whether you have high or low level of blood sugar, it’s tougher than sounds. You might be surprised, but it’s more than not eating certain foods. Diabetes is one of the most common and also dangerous diseases. Check which silent symptoms you shouldn’t neglect. 15. Thirst The first important sign of diabetes is unusual and excessive thirst. Drinking a lot is normal and healthy but if you noticed that you’re thirsty all the time, something’s wrong. You’d better visit the doctor to get checked. 14. Urge to Pee Obviously, if you start drinking a lot more than you usually would, you’ll also have to go to the bathroom more frequently. In addition, high blood sugar level increases the amount of urine production, as well. That’s why it is important to keep track of your bathroom visits. 13. Fatigue Feeling tired even when you didn’t do anything exhausting? Sure, you might be simply lazy but that is also one of the symptoms. You can experience tiredness in case of both low and high blood pressure. Glucose slows down the circulation, thus your cells won’t get the amount of nutrients and oxygen they need and it all results in making you feel tired. 12. Thrush Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to itching and burning in the genital area as the excess sugar increases the risk of getting yeast infections. Although it is relatively common and mostly harmless, it has to be treaded immediately because it can have serious complications combined with diabetes. 11. Worse Vision While the high blood sugar cause the lens of the eye to swell consequently changing your vision, blurred or double vision can occur due to low blood sugar. Dry eyes are also trying to warn you, so please don’t wait too long to be monitored. Retinal screening is just as much important as anything el Continue reading >>
Early Symptoms Of Diabetes
How can you tell if you have diabetes? Most early symptoms are from higher-than-normal levels of glucose, a kind of sugar, in your blood. The warning signs can be so mild that you don't notice them. That's especially true of type 2 diabetes. Some people don't find out they have it until they get problems from long-term damage caused by the disease. With type 1 diabetes, the symptoms usually happen quickly, in a matter of days or a few weeks. They're much more severe, too. Both types of diabetes have some of the same telltale warning signs. Hunger and fatigue. Your body converts the food you eat into glucose that your cells use for energy. But your cells need insulin to bring the glucose in. If your body doesn't make enough or any insulin, or if your cells resist the insulin your body makes, the glucose can't get into them and you have no energy. This can make you more hungry and tired than usual. Peeing more often and being thirstier. The average person usually has to pee between four and seven times in 24 hours, but people with diabetes may go a lot more. Why? Normally your body reabsorbs glucose as it passes through your kidneys. But when diabetes pushes your blood sugar up, your kidneys may not be able to bring it all back in. This causes the body to make more urine, and that takes fluids. You'll have to go more often. You might pee out more, too. Because you're peeing so much, you can get very thirsty. When you drink more, you'll also pee more. Dry mouth and itchy skin. Because your body is using fluids to make pee, there's less moisture for other things. You could get dehydrated, and your mouth may feel dry. Dry skin can make you itchy. Blurred vision. Changing fluid levels in your body could make the lenses in your eyes swell up. They change shape and lose their a Continue reading >>
5 Strange Symptoms That Could Be Early Signs Of Diabetes
Besides the well-known symptoms—like constant thirst and a frequent need to pee—here are a few other subtle signals that something may be wrong. Many people who develop type 2 diabetes have no idea they’re sick until a blood test shows abnormal blood sugar levels, or until their disease progresses and serious complications start to occur. “For the most part, diabetes is silent and insidious,” says Ronald Tamler, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Clinical Diabetes Institute. “Most of the time people have no symptoms early on.” In some cases, though, there are sneaky signs. Some early diabetes symptoms are well-known: constant thirst, excessive urination, or sudden weight gain or loss, for example. Others, like the ones below, are more easily missed—by medical professionals and patients alike. If you’re experiencing any of these, be sure to bring them up with your doctor. Inflamed or infected gums Periodontitis—also known as gum disease—may be an early sign of type 2 diabetes, according to new research published in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care. The study found that people with gum disease, especially those with severe cases, had higher rates of diabetes (both diagnosed and undiagnosed) and pre-diabetes than those without. The connection between gum disease and diabetes isn’t new, says Dr. Tamler, and it appears to go both ways: Having either condition seems to increase the risk of developing the other. “Inflammation caused by gum disease eggs on the same factors that are responsible for high blood sugar that cause diabetes,” he says. Skin discoloration “Long before you actually get diabetes, you may notice a dark discoloration on the back of your neck,” says Dr. Tamler. This is called acanthosis nigricans, and it’s usually Continue reading >>
Diabetes Warning Signs
Because type 2 diabetes can lead to serious health complications, it's important to be aware of any diabetes warning signs and get tested for diabetes if you have any of these symptoms. Treating diabetes early can help prevent serious complications. We'll explain the various diabetes warning signs and also warning signs of specific diabetes problems. Discover why it's important to listen to your body and alert your doctor if you notice any new signs or problems. Sometimes type 2 diabetes can develop without any warnings signs. In fact, about a third of all people who have type 2 diabetes don't know they have it. That's why it's important to talk to your doctor about your risk for diabetes and determine if you should be tested. Common warnings signs of diabetes include: Increased thirst Increased hunger (especially after eating) Unexplained weight loss (even though you are eating and feel hungry) Fatigue (weak, tired feeling) If you have any of the above mentioned warnings signs of diabetes, give your doctor a call and schedule a diabetes test. With the right diabetes diet, regular exercise, and medications, if needed, you can manage type 2 diabetes and live an active, productive life. If you have symptoms of the following diabetes complications, it's important to seek immediate medical attention. Each brief discussion links to more in-depth information. As you'll learn in this health topic, hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, occurs when the level of sugar or glucose in the blood drops too low to fuel the body. Hypoglycemia is not a disease but a condition that results from a variety of causes. Hypoglycemia is most commonly a complication of diabetes treatment (diabetic hypoglycemia). You can develop hypoglycemia by taking too much insulin or other diabetes medications or Continue reading >>
7 Warning Signs Of Type 2 Diabetes
1 / 8 What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes? More than 100 million American adults are living with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, according to the latest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But the number of people who know they have the diseases — which can lead to life-threatening complications, like blindness and heart disease — is far lower. Data from the CDC suggests that of the estimated 30.3 million Americans with type 2 diabetes, 7.2 million, or 1 in 4 adults living with the disease, are not aware of it. And among those people living with prediabetes, only 11.6 percent are aware that they have the disease. Prediabetes is marked by higher than normal blood sugar levels — though not high enough to qualify as diabetes. The CDC notes that this condition often leads to full-blown type 2 diabetes within five years if it's left untreated through diet and lifestyle modifications. Type 2 diabetes, which is often diagnosed when a person has an A1C of at least 7 on two separate occasions, can lead to potentially serious issues, like neuropathy, or nerve damage; vision problems; an increased risk of heart disease; and other diabetes complications. A person’s A1C is the two- to three-month average of his or her blood sugar levels. According to the Mayo Clinic, doctors may use other tests to diagnose diabetes. For example, they may conduct a fasting blood glucose test, which is a blood glucose test done after a night of fasting. While a fasting blood sugar level of less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) is normal, one that is between 100 to 125 mg/dL signals prediabetes, and a reading that reaches 126 mg/dL on two separate occasions means you have diabetes. People with full-blown type 2 diabetes are not able to use the h Continue reading >>
Early Signs And Symptoms Of Diabetes In Women
Diabetes often strikes women differently due to a number of reasons, primary among them being the hormonal variations between men and women. Inflammation also acts differently in women. Considering that type 2 diabetes is a disease of chronic low-grade inflammation, it follows that warning signs, as well as disease progression in women, are different significantly, if not vastly. Diabetes is one of the biggest lifestyle diseases we see today. In just 25 years, the global incidence of diabetes has doubled, according to the World Health Organization. More than 15 million women are living with type 2 diabetes in the United States alone and another 40 million are prediabetic, according to CDC (Center for Disease Control) statistics of 2017. Symptoms of Diabetes in Women While many signs and symptoms of diabetes are common in men and women, women experience certain unique symptoms. These are: Vaginal and Oral Infections Overgrowth of a yeast called Candida albicans causes vaginal and oral yeast infections, called “thrush.” High levels of glucose in the blood are favorable for the growth of this yeast. Vaginal infections are accompanied by symptoms like soreness, itching, vaginal discharge and pain during sex. When the infection is oral, a cottage cheese-like coating is seen on the tongue and the inside of the mouth. Urinary Tract Infections The risk of UTIs is higher in women with diabetes. UTIs occur when bacteria gain access to the urinary tract, where they colonize and cause infection. Signs and symptoms include painful urination, burning sensation while urination, fever and cloudy (sometimes bloody) urine. High blood glucose levels, poor circulation and the inability of immune cells to effectively fight bacteria are all causes of UTIs. Poor Sexual Health High levels Continue reading >>
Could You Have Type 2? 10 Diabetes Symptoms
Diabetes symptoms Diabetes affects 24 million people in the U.S., but only 18 million know they have it. About 90% of those people have type 2 diabetes. In diabetes, rising blood sugar acts like a poison. Diabetes is often called the silent killer because of its easy-to-miss symptoms. "Almost every day people come into my office with diabetes who don't know it," says Maria Collazo-Clavell, MD, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The best way to pick up on it is to have a blood sugar test. But if you have these symptoms, see your doctor. Watch the video: 5 Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes Increased urination, excessive thirst If you need to urinate frequently—particularly if you often have to get up at night to use the bathroom—it could be a symptom of diabetes. The kidneys kick into high gear to get rid of all that extra glucose in the blood, hence the urge to relieve yourself, sometimes several times during the night. The excessive thirst means your body is trying to replenish those lost fluids. These two symptoms go hand in hand and are some of "your body's ways of trying to manage high blood sugar," explains Dr. Collazo-Clavell. Weight loss Overly high blood sugar levels can also cause rapid weight loss, say 10 to 20 pounds over two or three months—but this is not a healthy weight loss. Because the insulin hormone isn't getting glucose into the cells, where it can be used as energy, the body thinks it's starving and starts breaking down protein from the muscles as an alternate source of fuel. The kidneys are also working overtime to eliminate the excess sugar, and this leads to a loss of calories (and can harm the kidneys). "These are processes that require a lot of energy," Dr. Collazo-Clavell notes. "You create a calorie deficit." Hunger Continue reading >>
10 Symptoms Of Diabetes That Are So Subtle You Might Totally Miss Them
Diabetes is a chronic condition where your blood sugar (a.k.a., glucose) is too high, often because your body doesn’t make enough insulin (the hormone that helps you process sugar) or process it well. While you might think you’d recognize something’s up, many people don’t. “Many times when sugars are not extremely high, you may not have symptoms,” says Poorani Goundan, M.D., an endocrinologist at Boston Medical Center. “Of the total diabetics in the U.S., a huge proportion are undiagnosed.” That’s why, she says, everyone over the age of 45 and younger people who have risk factors—including being overweight, having a family history of diabetes, or having gestational diabetes during pregnancy—should be screened regularly. (Kick-start your new, healthy routine with Women's Health's 12-Week Total-Body Transformation!) In the meantime, even noticeable diabetes symptoms are often mild and can easily be written off as something else. Here are a few common but sneaky symptoms of diabetes every woman should know about: As with other sign of diabetes, this classic symptom is caused by excess sugar circulating in your body. “When your blood sugar is high, your body is trying to dump it out of your system. Water follows sugar, so you end up having high-volume urine loss,” says Vouyiouklis Kellis, M.D., an endocrinologist at Cleveland Clinic. If you notice you’re suddenly peeing more often and in greater volumes for no real reason—especially if you’re waking up a few times during the night to take a whiz—it’s time to talk to your doctor, say both Goundan and Kellis. With all that peeing you’re doing, you’re bound to get dehydrated. “They’re very often tied together. Some patients who don’t know they have diabetes quench their thirst with Continue reading >>
10 Silent Diabetes Symptoms You Might Be Missing
Diabetes has plenty of early signs, but they're subtle enough that you might not notice. Syda Productions/shutterstock "It's not like you wake up one day and all of a sudden you're thirsty, hungry, and [going to the bathroom] all the time," says Melissa Joy Dobbins, RD, a certified diabetes educator in Illinois and a spokesperson for the American Association of Diabetes Educators. "It picks up gradually." Indeed, "most people are unaware that they have diabetes in its early or even middle phases," says Aaron Cypess, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and staff physician at Joslin Diabetes Center. Just because you're not keyed in doesn't mean you're immune from problems associated with diabetes, he adds. The longer you go without controlling diabetes, the greater your risk for heart disease, kidney disease, amputation, blindness, and other serious complications. "We recommend that people with risk factors for diabetes, such as a family history or being overweight, get evaluated on a regular basis," Dr. Cypess says. If you've been feeling off, talk to your doctor about getting a simple blood test that can diagnose the disease. And pay attention to these subtle diabetes symptoms and signs. Try these simple tricks for living well with diabetes from people who actually have it. Iryna Kolesova/shutterstock When you have diabetes, your body becomes less efficient at breaking food down into sugar, so you have more sugar sitting in your bloodstream, says Dobbins. "Your body gets rid of it by flushing it out in the urine." So going to the bathroom a lot could be one of the diabetes symptoms you're missing. Most patients aren't necessarily aware of how often they use the bathroom, says Dr. Cypess. "When we ask about it, we often hear, 'Oh yeah, I guess I Continue reading >>
Diabetes Symptoms In Men: 4 Different Signs
What is diabetes? What are the types of diabetes? Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that occurs when your blood sugar (glucose), is too high (hyperglycemia). Glucose is what the body uses for energy, and the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin that helps convert the glucose from the food you eat into energy. When the body either does not produce enough insulin, does not produce any at all, or your body becomes resistant to the insulin, the glucose does not reach your cells to be used for energy. This results in the health condition termed diabetes. There are two main types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes, because it usually is diagnosed during childhood. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition in which the body does not produce insulin because the body’s immune system attacks insulin-producing cells from the pancreas called beta cells. Type 1 diabetes is treated by using insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which cells cannot use blood sugar (glucose) efficiently for energy. This occurs when blood sugar levels get too high over time, and the cells become insensitive or resistant to insulin (termed insulin resistance). There are multiple medications used to treat type 2 diabetes. What warning signs and symptoms of diabetes are unique to men? Signs and symptoms of diabetes unique to men include: What warning signs and symptoms of diabetes are the same in men and women? There are diabetes warning signs and symptoms that both women and men have in common, for example: Excessive thirst and hunger Irritability Slow-healing wounds Skin infections Breath odor that is fruity, sweet, or an acetone odor Diabetes Diet: Healthy Meal Plans for Diabetes-Friendly Eating How does diabetes affect men differently than wom Continue reading >>
7 Early Signs Of Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a preventable disease that affects more than 9 percent of the U.S. population, or about 29 million people. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a quarter — some 8 million people — remain undiagnosed. With complications including nerve damage, kidney damage, poor blood circulation, and even death, it’s important for us all to know the early signs of type 2 diabetes. What Is Type 2 Diabetes? Type 2 diabetes is a condition that makes it difficult for the body to manage glucose levels in the blood — something typically regulated by a hormone known as insulin. This can be because your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, the cells don’t respond to insulin correctly, or a combination of both. Obesity is a major risk factor for the disease. While most common in adults, it is increasingly being diagnosed in children, in part due to the childhood obesity epidemic. Long-term uncontrolled blood sugar levels can lead to complications like nerve damage, kidney damage, hearing impairment, skin problems, eye damage, and heart disease. Some of these complications, like poor circulation, can eventually lead to amputations, most commonly of the feet or legs. Preventing these complications requires a diagnosis and consistent treatment. Identifying the early symptoms of type 2 diabetes can make this possible. Learn More About Type 2 Diabetes The early signs of this disease are not always obvious. They may develop slowly over time, making them hard to identify. Many are asymptomatic. Because they can worsen over a period of years, type 2 diabetes may remain undiagnosed longer than other, more obvious conditions. 1. Frequent Urination Also known as polyuria, frequent and/or excessive urination is a sign that your blood sugar is Continue reading >>
Early Symptoms Of Diabetes
What are the symptoms of diabetes? Although the signs of diabetes can begin to show early, sometimes it takes a person a while to recognize the symptoms. This often makes it seem like signs and symptoms of diabetes appear suddenly. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to your body, rather than simply brushing them off. To that end, here are some type 1 and type 2 diabetes symptoms that you may want to watch out for: If you’re experiencing frequent urination your body might be telling you that your kidneys are trying to expel excess sugar in your blood. The resulting dehydration may then cause extreme thirst. Along the same lines, the lack of available fluids may also give you dry mouth and itchy skin. If you experience increased hunger or unexpected weight loss it could be because your body isn’t able to get adequate energy from the food you eat. High blood sugar levels can affect blood flow and cause nerve damage, which makes healing difficult. So having slow-healing cuts/sores is also a potential sign of diabetes. Yeast infections may occur in men and women who have diabetes as a result of yeast feeding on glucose. Other signs of diabetes Pay attention if you find yourself feeling drowsy or lethargic; pain or numbness in your extremities; vision changes; fruity or sweet-smelling breath which is one of the symptoms of high ketones; and experiencing nausea or vomiting—as these are additional signs that something is not right. If there’s any question, see your doctor immediately to ensure that your blood sugar levels are safe and rule out diabetes. So what are the low blood sugar symptoms you should look out for? It’s important to realize that the signs of… Polyuria occurs when your body urinates more frequently—and often in larger amounts—than Continue reading >>
Diabetes Symptoms: When Diabetes Symptoms Are A Concern
Diabetes symptoms are often subtle. Here's what to look for — and when to consult your doctor. Early symptoms of diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, can be subtle or seemingly harmless — that is, if you even have symptoms at all. Over time, however, you may develop diabetes complications, even if you haven't had diabetes symptoms. In the United States alone, more than 8 million people have undiagnosed diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. But you don't need to become a statistic. Understanding possible diabetes symptoms can lead to early diagnosis and treatment — and a lifetime of better health. If you're experiencing any of the following diabetes signs and symptoms, see your doctor. Excessive thirst and increased urination Excessive thirst (also called polydipsia) and increased urination (also known as polyuria) are classic diabetes symptoms. When you have diabetes, excess sugar (glucose) builds up in your blood. Your kidneys are forced to work overtime to filter and absorb the excess sugar. If your kidneys can't keep up, the excess sugar is excreted into your urine, dragging along fluids from your tissues. This triggers more frequent urination, which may leave you dehydrated. As you drink more fluids to quench your thirst, you'll urinate even more. Fatigue You may feel fatigued. Many factors can contribute to this. They include dehydration from increased urination and your body's inability to function properly, since it's less able to use sugar for energy needs. Weight loss Weight fluctuations also fall under the umbrella of possible diabetes signs and symptoms. When you lose sugar through frequent urination, you also lose calories. At the same time, diabetes may keep the sugar from your food from reaching your cells — leading to constant Continue reading >>
