Type 2 diabetes is a condition that has been common in recent years, especially due to lifestyle and Western-style eating. Doctor Vasi Rădulescu presented on his personal blog what are the first symptoms that should make us think.
Here is what he says:
Type 2 diabetes makes your blood sugar too high. Recognizing the early signs and symptoms of this chronic condition can cause a person to receive treatment earlier, which reduces the risk of serious complications.
Type 2 diabetes is a common condition. A 2017 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 30.3 million adults in the United States have diabetes. The report also estimated that another 84.1 million adults in the United States have prediabetes.
People with prediabetes have higher than normal blood sugar levels, but doctors do not consider them to have diabetes yet. According to the CDC source, people with prediabetes often develop type 2 diabetes within 5 years if they do not receive treatment.
The onset of type 2 diabetes may be gradual, and symptoms may be mild in the early stages. Therefore, many people may not realize that they have this condition.
In this article, we analyze the early signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes and the importance of early diagnosis. We also discuss the risk factors for the development of this condition.
Early signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes may include:
Frequent urination
When blood sugar is high, the kidneys try to get rid of excess sugar by filtering it from the blood. This can lead to a person needing to urinate more often, especially at night.
Increased thirst
Frequent urination that is needed to remove excess sugar from the blood can lead to the loss of extra water by the body. Over time, this can cause dehydration and lead to a person feeling more thirsty than usual.
The feeling of permanent hunger
Often, people with diabetes do not get enough energy from the food they eat.
The digestive system breaks down food into a simple sugar called glucose, which the body uses as fuel. In people with diabetes, not enough glucose passes from the bloodstream to the body’s cells.
As a result, people with type 2 diabetes often feel constantly hungry, no matter how recently they have eaten.
Type 2 diabetes can have an impact on a person’s energy level and can make them feel very tired or fatigued. This fatigue occurs due to the fact that sugar moves insufficiently from the bloodstream in the body’s cells.
Blurry vision
Excess blood sugar can damage the small blood vessels in the eyes, which can cause blurred vision. This blurred vision may appear in one or both eyes and may appear and disappear.
If a person with diabetes is left without treatment, the damage to these blood vessels can become more severe, and eventually permanent vision loss can occur.
Slow healing of cuts and wounds
High blood sugar levels can damage the body’s nerves and blood vessels, which can affect blood circulation. As a result, even small cuts and wounds can take weeks or months to heal. Slow wound healing also increases the risk of infection.
Tingling, numbness or pain in the hands or feet
High blood sugar can affect blood circulation and can affect the body’s nerves. In people with type 2 diabetes, this can lead to pain or a tingling sensation or numbness in the hands and feet.
This condition is known as neuropathy and can worsen over time and can lead to more serious complications if a person does not receive treatment for their diabetes.
Dark spots
Skin spots that form on the folds of the neck, underarms or in the groin area can also mean a higher risk of diabetes. These patches can be very soft and velvety to the touch.
This skin condition is known as acanthosis nigricans.
Itching and fungal infections
Excess blood sugar and urine provide food for yeast, which can lead to infections. Fungal infections tend to occur on warm, moist areas of the skin, such as the mouth, genitals, and armpits.
The affected areas are usually itchy, but a person may also experience burning, redness and pain.
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