5 Early Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes Every Person Must Know

Diabetes has, in the recent years, becomes famous or infamous as one of the lifestyle diseases which are affecting people. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that occurs when the blood sugar level is too high. Body uses glucose for energy, and the pancreas produces insulin that helps convert the glucose from the food you eat into energy. When the body either does not produce enough insulin, does not produce any at all, or your body stops breaking down the glucose in blood causing hyperglycaemia or diabetes.
There are two types of diabetes:

Type 1: Where the autoimmune disorder of the body causes the immune system to attack the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. The body doesn’t produce insulin causing diabetes. This type of diabetes can be treated using insulin.

Type 2: This is a condition in which cells cannot use blood sugar.This occurs when blood sugar levels get too high over time, and the cells become insensitive or resistant to insulin. There are multiple medications for Type 2 diabetes.

When not kept under check, diabetes can cause several complications which can lead to heart attack and stroke, and problems with the kidneys, eyes, feet and nerves. It is therefore imperative to catch the early signs of diabetes and reach out for treatment.Here are the symptoms which are common to both men and women and are strong indicators of increased blood sugar levels:

* Excessive thirst and hunger

The frequent urination that is necessary to remove excess sugar from the blood can result in the body losing additional water. This causes more thirst than usual. Also, since the body is not able to breakdown simple sugar, not enough of this glucose moves from the bloodstream into the body’s cells. As a result, no matter how much the person eats, they keep feeling hungry frequently.

* Frequent urination
When blood sugar levels are high, the kidneys try to remove the excess sugar by filtering it out of the blood. This can lead to a person needing to urinate more frequently, particularly at night.
* Sudden weight loss
Since diabetes affects the body’s ability to efficiently break down the food being consumed, it can cause sudden weight gain or weight loss. In the absence of insulin to breakdown sugar for energy, body begins to burn the fat deposits for the daily energy requirements, causing sudden weight loss.
* Fatigue
Diabetes has direct impact on a person’s energy levels and cause them to feel very tired or fatigued. This tiredness occurs as a result of insufficient sugar moving from the bloodstream into the body’s cells.

* Blurred Vision
An excess of sugar in the blood can damage the tiny blood vessels in the eyes. This causes blurry vision in either one eye or both the eyes. Without treatment, diabetes may cause excessive damage to these blood vessels and may eventually result in permanent vision loss.
* Slow healing of wounds
High levels of sugar in the blood can damage the body’s nerves and blood vessels, which can impair blood circulation. Because of this, even small cuts and wounds may take weeks or months to heal. Slow wound healing also increases the risk of infections.
* Tingling or numbness in feet or hand
High blood sugar levels can affect blood circulation and damage the body’s nerves. In Type 2 diabetes cases, this can lead to pain or a sensation of tingling or numbness in the hands and feet.
Diabetes can cause severe complications in the body, badly affecting the health of a person. Hence, stay aware of these symptoms to spot diabetes and seek treatment at the earliest.