Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease in which blood glucose levels are constantly elevated due to a malfunction in the action of insulin. This hormone is necessary for glucose to enter the tissues of the body. In type 2 diabetes, tissues may not be able to take up insulin—this is called insulin resistance—or it may not be produced enough. Can a person suspect this disease himself? To answer this question, we spoke with doctor-endocrinologist of the highest category, candidate of medical sciences, associate professor of the endocrinology department of Belarusian State Medical University Evgenia Stepanova. So, what are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes in men and women.
“The peculiarity of type 2 diabetes is that very often it is asymptomatic,” explains Evgenia Stepanova. – Most often, patients do not make any complaints, and this is the main danger of this disease, that is, it proceeds hidden, latent, as we say, and there may not be clear clinical manifestations at all.
It happened that a person found out that he had type 2 diabetes when he went to the hospital because of skin changes on the foot, which in fact were already gangrene. However, there are still some classic symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes symptoms
Thirst and dry mouth
Dry mouth and a desire to drink often is one of the main symptoms of type 2 diabetes in both men and women. It is one thing if you began to drink more in the summer in the heat, but if you are constantly thirsty, even get you out of bed at night, this is a good reason to take a blood biochemistry test. With type 2 diabetes, a person can drink up to 4-5 liters of fluid per day. Carefully monitor your drinking regime, in the end, the constant need for fluid can be a symptom of other diseases.
Frequent urination
Type 2 diabetes makes you not only drink a lot, but also constantly drives you to the toilet. The body is trying to figure out how to cope with high blood sugar, looking for the necessary fluid to dissolve it – hence the problems with the kidneys and bladder.
These are the classic symptoms of type 2 diabetes in women and men. But, I repeat, very often they may not be, – reminds the endocrinologist.
Itching
– Constant thirst and frequent urination are often accompanied by skin itching, – adds Evgenia Stepanova.
Especially often itching occurs in the perineum and genitals. This is explained by the fact that when a certain level is reached, glucose begins to be excreted in the urine, which irritates the skin in the inguinal region.
Weight change
Another non-obvious symptom of type 2 diabetes in women and men is a change in body weight. With this disease, kilograms can both increase and decrease. Most often, kilograms are lost with type 1 diabetes, but with type 2, on the contrary, they usually gain excess weight. The reason is the lack of insulin, which breaks down food.
Hunger
Often people suffering from impaired sugar metabolism feel constant hunger. They note that the appetite especially increases for sweet foods. This leads to the previous symptom – weight gain.
Chronic fatigue
Loss of strength and fatigue are some of the signs of diabetes. The reason is simple: glucose provides us with energy for life, but due to diabetes, sugar remains in the blood and the cells of the body experience energy starvation. If you eat as usual, and getting out of bed every day is more and more difficult – running to the doctor, in the initial stages, problems with sugar metabolism in the body are reversible.
Visual disturbances
In type 2 diabetes, vision can suffer. Patients with this diagnosis note that they have double vision, vision becomes blurry, there is a feeling of “sand in the eyes”. The cause may be problems with the retina of the eye, which leads to high blood sugar.
Non-healing wounds
In addition to itchy skin, diabetes also causes other skin problems. You can suspect something is wrong if your scratches and wounds begin to heal for a long time, or even not heal at all. Sometimes they can develop an infection.
Numbness and tingling in the legs and arms
Due to a violation of sugar metabolism, diabetic neuropathy can develop. It is manifested by pain in the feet and legs, night cramps of the calf muscles, and a decrease in sensitivity.
Dry skin
All the same circulatory problems that occur with type 2 diabetes can affect the skin. It loses elasticity and becomes drier.
Sleep disturbance
High blood sugar can cause sleep problems. So for any sleep disorders, the nature of which is not clear to you, you need to seek medical help.
Popular questions and answers
Is it possible to confuse the symptoms of diabetes with another disease?
What is the normal blood sugar level?
The results of this test will determine what exactly is wrong in your body. There are four options for results.
In the first – the most successful – the test will show that blood sugar is normal and the results of biochemistry were indicative.
The second option is that you have impaired fasting glycemia, that is, before taking glucose, the sugar level was above normal, and after taking it, it was within the normal range (up to 7,8 mmol per liter).
The third option is that you have impaired glucose tolerance, that is, after taking it, a blood test showed from 7,8 to 11 mmol per liter. Both of these options are not diabetes, they are reversible conditions and if you take care of your health, blood sugar levels will return to normal.
If, after the second blood sampling, the analysis showed 11,1 mmol / l and above, you have diabetes mellitus.