Diabetes Symptoms

Diabetes symptoms commonly experienced are more or less the same for all types of diabetes. The difference is in the severity, and in the amount of time that symptoms are present before treatment is sought. In Type 1 diabetes, diabetes symptoms will usually be present only for a few weeks at most before the disease becomes severe enough to force the sufferer to seek treatment.

On the other hand, Type 2 diabetics will often have diabetes symptoms for years without realising that anything is really wrong, and will only be diagnosed when complications are noticed. For this reason a list of common complications is included here, as they can be used almost as additional diabetes symptoms, especially for older people.

Symptoms of diabetes

• Excessive thirst- this means feeling thirsty even after drinking a lot, or needing to get up at night to drink. In type 1 this becomes so severe that the diabetic may even dream about drinking, but in type 2 may be quite hard to pinpoint. It is caused by the body's attempts to dilute the excessive amount of sugar present in the blood.
• Excessive urination- this again is much more obvious in type 1. It is the natural consequence of drinking enough to dilute blood sugar levels.
• Hunger- this is present in both types, and is a result of the fact that cells are starved of energy, and demand food. However much the diabetic eats, no energy gets to the cells, and blood sugar rises even more.
• Losing weight- more common in type 1, because the body turns to stored fat to continue metabolism. In type 2 usually some sugar is metabolised, and the body manages to lay down fat.
• Fatigue- caused by the need to metabolise fat reserves and the lack of energy.
• Bad mood- a psychological result of hunger and lack of energy.
• Blurred vision- caused in type 1 by high blood sugar levels affecting the optic nerve, and in type 2 by long term damage to blood vessels. Often the first diabetes symptom diagnosed by a professional.

Complications of diabetes

These complictions occur after several years, and although they are not diabetes symptoms and can occur in other diseases, they are frequently the first sign which alert type 2 diabetics to their illness.

• Cuts heal slowly and often get infected. Abcesses and gum diseases, frequent thrush in women, bladder infections. Caused by the large amounts of sugar in bodily fluids which encourages infection, and by deterioration in blood supply to the extremities.
• Tingling or numbness in fingers and toes. Caused by nerve damage, often painful and unfortunately irreversible.
• Foot complications- because nerve damage can reduce sensation in the feet, often diabetics don't realise that they have an ulcer or infection. Skin is drier than normal, and this aggravates the condition.
• Styes, boils and carbuncles of various kinds are all more common in diabetics.
• Glaucoma, cataract and diabetic retinopathy of different types can all be diagnosed by an optometrist who will often alert the patient to the possibility of diabetes.