Eight Warning Signs of Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic illness related to your body’s ability to metabolize glucose. Glucose is the basic element that provides you the energy you need to function. When your body is unable to regulate the amount of sugar in your blood, your blood sugar levels elevate. In fact, if you don’t treat it right away, that high blood sugar can damage tissues and lead to serious complications. In this article, discover some warning signs of diabetes.
Types of diabetes
The pancreas produces insulin, which is the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar. Diabetes is when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or it doesn’t use it effectively. Thus, there is more than one type of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes tends to manifest suddenly in the early stages of life. Most of the time, it’s related to an autoimmune deficiency in which the pancreas can’t produce enough insulin. This type of diabetes is incurable.
- Type 2 diabetes tends to be diagnosed after the age of 40 and is more common than Type 1. It’s caused by insulin scarcity or the fact that the body can’t use insulin properly. Patients can counteract this problem with diet and exercise-related lifestyle changes.
- Gestational diabetes is diagnosed during pregnancy when the future mother isn’t able to produce enough insulin or her body can’t use it properly. Treatment is usually restricted to diet changes.
Recent studies show that 1 out of every 11 people in the world have diabetes. Consequently, it’s very important to be able to identify the first warning signs this illness.
Eight warning signs of diabetes
1. Frequent urination
The first warning sign of diabetes is frequent urination. This is due to excess gluten in the blood, which interferes with the kidney’s ability to concentrate urine. Thus, in its early stages, diabetes makes you thirstier, so you drink more water. Consequently, you need to urinate more often.
2. Thirst
As we mentioned above, excessive thirst is a warning sign of diabetes. If you feel extra thirsty, make sure that you aren’t drinking too many sugary drinks. As they contain excess sugar, they can worsen the problem.
3. Weight loss or gain
Body weight fluctuations are also a warning sign of diabetes. When you lose blood sugar by urinating frequently, you also lose calories.
On the flip side, diabetes completely deregulates the system your body uses to tell yourself it’s full. That’s why some people with diabetes keep eating even though they’re full. Consequently, sudden weight gain is another common warning sign of diabetes.
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4. Emotional changes
High blood sugar can affect your mood. The more insulin spikes your body experiences, the more intense your mood swings will be.
5. Tingling sensation in your hands and feet
Some of the most uncomfortable symptoms of diabetes are chills, inflammation, tingling, and numbness in the fingers, toes, and feet. These symptoms manifest when your blood sugar gets bad enough to cause neuropathy. If you don’t detect the illness on time, they could end up becoming permanent.
6. Frequent or recurring infections
Diabetes suppresses the immune system. As a result, people with diabetes are more susceptible to infections such as yeast infections, pneumonia, UTIs, and skin rashes.
7. Gum swelling
People with diabetes often notice that their gums are red, swollen, and irritated. If left untreated, the inflammation will worsen and your gums will significantly deteriorate. This could even affect the health of your teeth.
8. Blurry vision
This is one of the most disconcerting warning signs of diabetes. Your vision is closely related to your blood glucose levels. When there’s a lot of glucose in your blood, you can develop blurry vision and sensitivity to light.
Fortunately, being aware of these warning signs can help you detect diabetes on time. Consequently, if you believe you’re at risk of suffering from diabetes, pay attention to your body. If you notice some of these symptoms, don’t hesitate to see a doctor as soon as possible.