10 Warning Signs of Diabetes

Diabetes has become a common condition among adults and young adults in India. Type-2 diabetes between the age group 20-79 has almost doubled from 32 million to 74 million since the year 2000. It is said that people with undiagnosed diabetes in 2021 will be at least 39 million. These figures look scary. Diabetes does give some early warning signs which can be very well observed even by not so literate individuals. Here is a compilation of 10 warning signs of diabetes.

Urinating Often

Frequently visiting the bathroom to pass urine, especially at night, may be a sign of diabetes. This is because of the high blood sugar in the urine. When there is diabetes, the kidney works hard to remove that excess sugar from the blood. But eventually when left unchecked for diabetes, the kidneys will not be able to keep up and they let excess sugar in the urine. This excess sugar causes urinating often.

Excessive Thirst

Since there is often urination, the body might get dehydrated quicker than normal. To compensate for the lost fluid, the body demands more water. This leads to the individual becoming more thirsty and the urge to drink more water. 

Repeated Episodes of Infections

Normally, the levels of bacteria and yeasts in the urinary tracts are controlled by the body’s immune system. The presence of excess sugar in the urine serves as food for bacteria and yeast that are present in the urinary tract and this causes them to quickly multiply. Hence repeated episodes of urinary tract infection are pretty common among the diabetic. This problem is compounded for women.  

Undying Hunger

Our body gets its energy from a simple sugar called glucose. This is made available when the food we eat is broken down to glucose. This glucose moves from the bloodstream into the body’s cells to provide it with energy. In diabetic, this process is not carried out efficiently. That is, not enough glucose moves to the body’s cells which leads to a condition where the body is constantly looking for food to get more glucose. This triggers the body to eat more and that is the reason why there is an undying hunger if the person is diabetic.

Fatigue and Weakness

This factor is closely associated with the body’s inability to break down glucose properly. When the body runs out of fuel (glucose) fast and is craving for more, that is when the diabetic feels fatigued and weak. Also urinating often and getting dehydrated adds to this fatigue and weakness.

Weight Loss

Not getting enough energy from the regular food source triggers the body to burn fat and muscles in diabetic. This can result in weight loss in a diabetic despite no change in diet or food habits.

Blurry or Poor Vision

Excess sugar in the  bloodstream can damage the minute blood vessels in your eyes. This is what causes blurry or poor vision in a diabetic. Sometimes, the eye lenses can also become swollen. But the swelling can subside if the sugar level reduces. Early treatment can check these damages but if left unchecked, they can even lead to permanent vision loss.

Slower Healing of Wounds

Since the blood vessels and nerves are damaged slowly in a diabetic, the body has an impaired blood circulation. This is why any cuts or wounds in the body take time to heal in a person who is a diabetic. 

Numbness or Tingling

The already said factors of poor blood circulation and nerve damage can cause a tingling, numbing sensation in the hands and feet of the diabetic.

Patches in the Skin

The skin region in the folds of the neck, armpits, groin are some of the areas to look out for the presence of any patches. If there are dark, velvety patches in the aforementioned areas, it may be due to diabetes.