Recognizing the early signs of diabetes can help prevent a life and death situation. It’s essential to be aware of any physical and significant changes in your body. Diabetes is the number one cause of kidney failure, adult blindness, and amputation. Often known as the silent killer, diabetic patients often have no symptoms in the beginning stages. With a better understanding of diabetes and its signs, you can take appropriate actions and maintain your disease.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that increases the body’s blood sugar levels. There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Genetic factors influence type 1 diabetes, and Lifestyle factors control type 2 diabetes. In addition, one less known form of diabetes is gestational diabetes, which occurs in pregnant women during their third trimester.
Who is at risk?
Many factors can contribute to the increased risk of diabetes; some uncontrollable risk factors include age, race, and family history. In contrast, controllable risk factors include weight, high blood pressure, inactivity, and high cholesterol. Knowing your risk factors can be helpful to avoid any health problems and conditions.
What are the early signs?
Many signs of diabetes can be detected; however, many can also go undetected. A total of 88 million adults who are 18 or older have prediabetes; on average, 1 in 4 people do not know they have diabetes. According to the National institute of diabetes and digestive,” An estimated 26.9 million people of all ages have been diagnosed with diabetes (8.2 percent of the U.S. population). Of the people diagnosed with diabetes, 210,000 are children and adolescents younger than age 20 years.”
The following are different types of early signs that can be found in a diabetic patient:
Change in taste
Increase in Thirst: Excessive thirst is often a common sign of early diabetes. Polydipsia, or increased thirst, results from the body attempting to bring glucose levels back to normal by eliminating excess glucose through the urine.
Excessive Hunger: A common early sign found in type 2 diabetes is the increase in appetite. Insulin resistance prevents glucose uptake by the cell. Due to glucose not entering the cell for energy, the body signals food intake for energy, therefore increasing hunger.
Change in body
Numbness: A feeling of tingling, sharpness, and burning in your hand or feet is a numbness sensation. A rise in blood sugar causes irreversible damage to the nerve.
Vision Change: A sudden form of blurry vision is an early sign of diabetes. High amounts of sugar can cause the blood vessels in your eyes to shift, and without treatment, it can cause vision loss.
Infections: Chronic infections can be an early sign of diabetes, such as UTI and yeast infections. Elevated glucose feeds the bacteria and can make it challenging to resolve the infections.
Fatigue: Fatigue is another symptom of diabetes. Insulin resistance interferes with the body’s ability to use glucose for energy and, as a result, leaves us feeling tired.
Dry skin: Dry, itchy, and poor wound healing skin is an early sign of diabetes. In addition, someone with diabetes is more prone to rashes ranging from blisters, dermopathy, and sclerosis.
Urination: the excessive use of urination four to seven times a day is a common sign of diabetes. The kidneys are overworking due to trying to get rid of sugar in the bloodstream, which causes a change in urination.
Why is it important?
Diabetes is a commonly known disease that affects people worldwide. This disease can lead to many complications such as stroke, heart disease, and kidney failure. Noticing and identifying early signs can help you take appropriate steps for proper treatments. Treatments include monitoring, medication, healthy eating, and exercise. Above all, noticing early signs and bringing awareness to these symptoms are just one step into improving your overall health.
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