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Diabetes symptoms are sometimes inconspicuous – they are often minor ailments. If we ignore them, they can cause many serious complications. Find out about the most common symptoms of diabetes.
- Diabetes is not a disease that we start to fall ill with suddenly, overnight. Diabetes symptoms appear gradually, but we either ignore them or associate them with other ailments
- Whether we have diabetes will of course be evidenced by the results of tests ordered by a doctor (including blood sugar testing), but the first signs of diabetes can be observed much earlier on our own
- The list of symptoms of this disease is long and we are not always able to accurately recognize its symptoms. Therefore, if we observe symptoms that have appeared suddenly and do not want to go away for a long time, do not postpone the visit to the doctor! Also, do not try to self-medicate, it is the specialist who makes the diagnosis
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage.
The three main symptoms of diabetes
What may be particularly worrying? – Undoubtedly drowsiness, thirst and weight loss. If these three symptoms occur together, my first thought is diabetes. And I always hit it – says Dr. Ewa Łapińska, a doctor of internal diseases.
So let’s check if we find such ailments in ourselves. Of course, everyone has bad days – they feel tired and sleepy. There are a lot of potential culprits: bad weather or the time of year, too much work and home duties, and still postponed vacation. However, subsequent coffees do not solve the problem and sleepiness is becoming more and more bothersome. In addition, when we observe sudden changes in mood, the appearance of anxiety or even depressive states, often with heart palpitations and trembling hands, it is worth asking yourself about the true cause of this condition.
Sometimes we simply ignore the symptoms of diabetes, or we do not notice them or misinterpret them. For example in summer, it is obvious that we all drink more water during this time. But when we feel constantly thirsty in winter, this is cause for concern. We then drink huge amounts of fluids (even 10 liters a day), and this causes polyuria. This is because the kidneys stop filtering glucose when its concentration in the blood becomes excessive (called the kidney threshold) and they excrete it in the urine, and we feel thirsty again. The excretion of more than 3 liters of urine a day is a problem that we must not take lightly.
It also happens that the symptoms of a developing disease may even initially… enjoy. This is the case with a man struggling with excess weight. If he is losing weight without starving himself, on the contrary – he has an appetite and satisfies it with pleasure. However, weight loss can be caused by disease – sugar is excreted in the urine, so the body begins to take the energy it needs for metabolic processes from stores. Such a loss of fat tissue is only cause for concern and a quick visit to the doctor.
After all, I take care of myself
Another category of ailments are those related to our well-being and personal hygiene. We sometimes think that bad breath is the result of poor oral hygiene. But if we follow it and we still have trouble, and the smell is characteristically sweet, with the smell of acetone – then diabetes must be among the suspects.
Similarly, when various gum diseases reappear in the form of inflammation or thrush, and even when we find taste disturbances, although these occur sporadically.
Skin changes are another warning sign. Not all of them, of course, but some. They are sometimes visible in the form of purulent eruptions, oily skin, onychomycosis, others are felt in the form of persistent itching of the skin.
It is worth knowing that diabetes promotes infections and hinders wound healing. More than usual amounts of hair loss are one more element that brings us closer to the end of the puzzle, which is the diagnosis of diabetes.
What if it’s not fatigue but diabetes?
It is also very dangerous to ignore the signals that we associate with fatigue. Usually we have a tight daily program and we combine some ailments with the fast pace of life. Therefore, we attribute the deterioration of eyesight to long-term work in front of the computer or reading in inappropriate light. However, when it takes place in a short time and the possibilities of the eyes decrease dramatically (well-chosen glasses suddenly “stop working”), we have to draw serious conclusions. An additional argument will be conjunctivitis.
The catalog of warning signals is closed with recurrent inflammation of the urinary and genital organs as well as contractions of the lower limbs, most often the calves. If we take care of ourselves and gynecological problems increase, it is a sign of very advanced latent diabetes. Men also have problems – after many years they experience fertility disorders caused by the inability to obtain an erection (diabetes destroys the innervated cavernous bodies of the penis).
Don’t ignore diabetes because …
Diabetes has many possible complications. In addition to the problems already mentioned, it can also cause permanent damage to the kidneys and increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke. We are also threatened with disability as a result of the so-called diabetic foot resulting from ischemia. A deformed, ulcerated foot must be amputated. After all, the most important and the worst – premature death due to the occurrence of these diseases. And here let’s remind you once again that complications, not diabetes itself, lead to this.
Only a doctor is able to associate our ailments with the appropriate disease. So we cannot heal ourselves, let alone underestimate even the smallest changes in health or well-being. The sooner we react correctly, the greater the chance that diabetes, although troublesome, will allow us to live as normally as possible. People whose relatives have already suffered from illness should remember this, because diabetes is often hereditary. This also applies to obese people. It has long been proven that being overweight increases the risk of diabetes, as does atherosclerosis, hypertension, and ischemic disease of the brain, heart or legs.
Late diagnosis of diabetes
Getting the diagnosis right is not that easy. However, it usually turns out that we are to blame for ourselves.
Doctor Ewa Łapińska, when asked about the practice of diagnosing this disease, says: – It is relatively easy with older people. They often visit the doctor for other ailments. They are diagnosed with diabetes by chance, for example I refer them to such tests once a year. It is different with young people. There must be some really severe symptoms for someone to come to me. It is very rare for someone concerned about the first symptoms to come to the consultation. This is why very advanced diabetes is so often diagnosed. It is estimated that in Poland there are over two million diabetics, and nearly half of them do not know about their disease – he adds.
Therefore, regardless of our health condition – it is time to start observing the body and perform checkups, so as not to join the group of patients. We do not necessarily have to go to a medical appointment by an ambulance on the signal. Our health, and sometimes life, depends on how we react to warning signals. It is worth remembering this.
Complications and dangers of diabetes
• The uncontrolled rise in blood glucose levels can cause a diabetic coma, which increases the risk of complications in the elderly (lung infections, heart attack, stroke).
• Diabetes are two or four times more likely to develop heart disease than healthy people.
• The disease accelerates the formation of cataracts and increases the risk of glaucoma. Blindness is 25 times more common in diabetics.
• Diabetes can lead to the so-called portal cirrhosis of the liver with steatosis. The disease also promotes the development of gallstone disease.
The editorial board recommends:
- Earliest Diabetes Symptoms. If you notice, do this research
- Atypical symptom of diabetes mellitus. It must not be ignored
- 3 million Poles diagnosed with diabetes. There are more patients but they avoid diagnosis