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More and more people suffer from diabetes, while it is estimated that as many as half of them are not diagnosed. What should worry us and prompt us to test our blood glucose levels?
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1/ 7 Type I diabetes
The essence of diabetes is elevated blood glucose levels. This is due to the reduced ability to convert glucose into glycogen. This can happen for two reasons. The body may make too little insulin, a hormone that is involved in the process of turning glucose into glycogen. Then we are talking about type I diabetes. Photo by Shutterstock
2/ 7 Type II diabetes
In the second case, there is a situation where the pancreas normally produces glucose but the tissues have a reduced sensitivity to this hormone. This results in the pancreas producing more and more insulin. We are talking then about type II diabetes. It constitutes about 95 percent. all cases of diabetes. photo: Shutterstock
3/ 7 Polyuria
Polyuria is a situation in which we pass more than three liters of urine a day. In diabetes, this is because there is so much glucose in primary urine that the kidneys are unable to recover all of it. Glucose is an osmotically active compound and “binds” water. So if there is glucose in the urine, its volume is greater. photo: Shutterstock
4/ 7 Persistent thirst
The consequence of passing too much urine is, of course, that you are thirsty. However, many people do not consider thirst as a symptom of the disease. The symptom of increased thirst is technically called polydipsia. photo: Shutterstock
5/ 7 Increased appetite
Ravenous appetite is very common in the case of diabetes. Despite the fact that there is a lot of glucose in the bloodstream, the body is unable to use it and sends a signal to the brain that it “lacks resources”. This in turn generates the appetite. photo: Shutterstock
6/ 7 Drowsiness, weight loss
As the body cannot use glucose, it is weakened. Fatigue and drowsiness appear. In extreme cases, weight loss occurs. photo: Shutterstock
7/ 7 Diabetes diagnosis
The easiest way to diagnose diabetes is to measure your blood glucose level. If you have any of the above symptoms, see your doctor – the test will be performed on the spot. Further tests will show whether you have type I or type II diabetes. photo: Shutterstock