Are You at Risk for Diabetes? Having diabetes symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have the condition, but you must look for signs and symptoms before diabetes can cause severe complications.
Are You at Risk for Diabetes?
According to the CDC, over 9% of Americans have diabetes. Diabetes is becoming a common illness as over 30 million Americans have been diagnosed with it. Therefore, you need to recognize the signs that may indicate you are at risk.
Common Diabetes Symptoms
Many people do not notice the early symptoms of diabetes as they appear gradually. Therefore you may have diabetes for a long time before you get diagnosed.
The following are some of the gradual symptoms you should look out for.
- Increased thirst
- Frequent urination
- Blurred vision
- Frequent headaches
- Slow healing of wounds
- Unintended weight loss
- Fatigue
- Tingling sensation in the limbs
- Frequent skin infections
- Skin pigmentation
- Genital itching or thrush
Health reporter says that uncontrolled high blood glucose levels cause severe complications. These include skin disorders, hypercalcemia, hypocalcemia, kidney, heart, and liver disease.
Signs Indicating Diabetes
Most people affected by diabetes do not experience any symptoms in the early stages. But some signs indicate that you are at an increased risk for diabetes. Here are five signs indicating diabetes.
Increased Thirst and Frequent Urination
High blood glucose levels make you incredibly thirsty, and you may have to drink more water than usual.
When glucose levels build up in the blood, it also causes polyuria—excessive urination. As a result, the kidney works harder to get rid of the glucose levels in your blood.
Excess sugar is flushed out through the urine when your kidneys cannot adjust the blood glucose levels. This makes you dehydrated and dizzy. Polyuria is amongst the primary signs indicating undiagnosed diabetes.
Constant Fatigue
Extreme tiredness and fatigue are early signs of increased blood glucose levels. When your body doesn’t process insulin or if it has insulin insufficiency, the sugar stays in your bloodstream.
When our cells have a poor glucose supply, they cannot utilize it for energy production, resulting in fatigue and exhaustion. Moreover, frequent urination also results in dehydration which contributes to fatigue.
Noticeably Blurry Vision and Frequent Headaches
High blood sugar changes the fluid levels in the body, resulting in tissue swelling. For example, you may experience blurry vision as high blood glucose levels cause swollen eye lenses.
The change of shape of the lenses also contributes to blurry vision. This type of blurry vision is temporary but causes frequent headaches when you cannot focus.
When your glucose levels fall back to normal, the vision becomes clear.
You Develop Sores and Skin Disorders
Scrapes, bruises, and cuts heal more slowly when your body has high blood glucose levels. Diabetes also causes nerve damage which affects circulation, resulting in delayed healing as there is a poor blood supply to the affected area.
Therefore, even minor cuts and wounds are prone to fungal and bacterial infections.
Besides this, diabetes can cause vast areas of soft skin to become dark. The skin at the back of your hands and neck becomes discolored.
Moreover, the armpits, knees, face, elbows, and knuckles appear darker. This condition is called acanthosis nigricans.
Another skin disorder caused by diabetes is necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum which affects blood vessels and results in raised skin patches and shiny scars.
Other severe complications in diabetes can cause blisters, itchiness, dryness, flakiness, and other skin abnormalities.
Yeast Infections
Hyperglycemia is when blood glucose levels rise above 180 to 200 milligrams per deciliter. Hyperglycemia increases the frequency of genital yeast infections.
When your blood sugar levels rise, it causes an overgrowth of yeast, particularly in the vaginal area. Candida albicans, a fungus, are responsible for genital yeast infections.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the symptoms include vaginal itching, discomfort during urination, redness, soreness, and pain during sexual intercourse. The affected person may also observe abnormal vaginal discharge.
Yeast infections are common in people without diabetes, but the increased frequency may indicate diabetes because the yeast feeds off the glucose.
In diabetes, your urinary tract has more glucose which puts you at a higher risk for yeast infections.
Yeast grows excessively in warm and moist areas, including the mouth, skin folds, feet, and genital area. Therefore, you should look for yeast infections such as oral thrush, foot, eye, and genital infections.
Signs That May Indicate You Are at Risk for Diabetes
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes appear in childhood or early adulthood, but sometimes the symptoms may go unnoticed. Untreated diabetes can cause severe health problems such as diabetic ketoacidosis, which may result in a fatal coma.
There isn’t a cure for diabetes, but people with the condition can prevent complications from leading a healthy life by managing their blood glucose levels.
Early diagnosis may also result in diabetic reversal. Therefore it’s crucial to look out for the symptoms and seek medical advice.
