What are the Early Signs of Diabetes?


How can I tell if I have diabetes? I can’t remember how many times I have been forced to answer this question. Sometimes, I got to give the same answer and feel like I am repeating myself over and over. But I keep reminding myself that the person reading this article may not have gotten the required information. So, I have to keep writing and rewriting and ensure that if not by word of mouth, my articles will help you. If you’re looking for an article that explains the first common signs of diabetes, then this article is for you.

What are the first common signs of diabetes?

There are two types of diabetes; type 2 and type 1 diabetes.  For those with type 2 diabetes, the symptoms may be so mild that you don’t detect them. Most people don’t recognize that they’re suffering from type 2 diabetes until they got problems from long-term damage caused by the ailment. However, for type 1 diabetes, the signs usually occur swiftly, in a matter of days or weeks and they’re much brutal. So if you’re reading this, you must be asking about type 2 diabetes that we’re going to examine in depth.

Type 2 Diabetes

It is a progressive situation that makes the body to become defiant to the normal functions of insulin and/or slowly the pancreas is not able to produce enough insulin for use by the body. It is strongly a family or genetically related ailment and sometimes related to lifestyle.

Facts about Type 2 Diabetics

  • It is diagnosed when the pancreas is unable to generate enough insulin or the insulin produced doesn’t work as expected (a condition referred to as insulin resistance).
  • Types 2 diabetes represents about 90% of all cases of diabetes
  • It frequently develops in adults over 45 years of age but is progressively becoming common in children and young adults.
  • Mostly likely to occur in a place with a family history of type 2 diabetes
  • Symptoms can include foot ulcers that will necessitate you to wear the best diabetic shoes or vision problem
  • It is controlled with a combination of healthy eating, weight reduction, and regular physical activities. Importantly, you will require insulin injections and/or oral medications to manage your situation.

Who are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes?

  • Have a family history of diabetes
  • People over 55 years of age
  • Lifestyle factors that cause obesity, overweight, and high blood pressure
  • Lack of sufficient physical activity
  • People over the age of 45 and are overweight
  • People over the age of 45 and have high blood pressure
  • People over the age of 35 and are from Chinese cultural background, Indian subcontinent, and Pacific Island

Common Symptoms of Diabetes

  1. Becoming excessively thirsty
  2. Feeling tired and sluggish
  3. Blurred vision
  4. Always feeling hungry
  5. Passing more urine
  6. Cuts healing slowly
  7. Mood swings
  8. Feeling dizzy
  9. Headaches
  10. Skin infections/itching
  11. Adding more weight
  12. Leg cramps

Managing Type 2 diabetes

Currently, there is no cure for type 2 diabetes but the situation can be well managed through medication, diet and a change of lifestyle. It is a progressive disease that needs to be managed to avoid complications.

Common Complications of Diabetes

In case of type 2 diabetes goes untreated, the various organs and cells in the body will be affected. The common complications include kidney damage, often causing eye damage, dialysis, blindness, stroke, or surge risk for heart ailments. This article will explain various possible complications that include:

  • Cardiovascular Ailment

Diabetes significantly surges the risk of certain cardiovascular setbacks such as coronary artery ailment with chest pain. If diabetes is untreated, it can develop into a heart attack, narrowing of arteries, and stroke.

  • Neuropathy/Nerve damage

Neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes. It entails nerve damage or the destruction of your nerves. The excess sugar in the blood vessels can harm the walls of capillaries that nourish your nerves, particularly in your legs. Neuropathy can cause numbness, tingling, burning, or pain that normally start at the tips of the fingers and toes and steadily spreads upward.

If the foot or leg is left untreated, it is likely that you would lose all sense of sensation in the affected limbs. The damage of the nerves that are linked to digestion can result in problems such as constipation, vomiting, and diarrhea. For men, it can result in erectile dysfunction. The best way to treat manage this is to take great care of your feet and use the best foot and leg massager for diabetic neuropathy to increase the circulation of blood.

  • Kidney damage/ Nephropathy

Kidneys contain glomerulus or million of minute blood vessel clusters that sieve waste from your blood. Diabetes can destroy this delicate filtering system. Severe injury can cause kidney failure that may need a kidney transplant or dialysis.

  • Eye Damage/Retinopathy

Diabetes can destroy the blood vessels of the retina probably causing blindness. Diabetes also surges the risk of other severe vision situations, such as glaucoma and cataracts.

  • Foot Damage

Nerve damage or poor blood flow to the feet surges the risk of certain foot complications. If left untreated, blisters and cuts can develop into grave infections, which usually heal poorly. The infections can lead to leg, toe, or foot amputation if not well managed. You will be required to take care of your foot including wearing slippers for diabetes.

  • Skin Situation

Diabetes can leave you susceptible to skin issues including fungal and bacterial infections.

  • Hearing Impairments

Hearing issues are usually common with diabetic people.

  • Alzheimer’s Ailment

Type 2 diabetes may surge the threat of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s ailment. The poorer your control of blood sugar, the greater the risk of complications. Although there are theories of these two diseases, none has been proved.

  • Depression

The depression signs are common in persons with type and 2 diabetes. Depression can greatly affect the management of diabetes.

Final Thought

Diabetes is a serious ailment but it can be managed all together. It is very vital that you follow your doctor’s instructions on the don’ts and dos. The article has offered you on the early signs of diabetes and how to manage the situation if you’re diabetic. It has also examined people who are at a high risk of developing diabetic complications. Ensure that you wear diabetic socks to keep your feet safe at all times.