Diabetes: The Signs & Symptoms

Some diseases develop so slowly and the symptoms may be so mild that a person doesn’t realize anything is wrong. The onset of Diabetes can be like that. Many people mistake the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes for problems of aging when, in fact, what they’re experiencing, is related to the build-up of glucose, or sugar, in their blood.

Here are some common symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes and explanations of why they may occur:

• Lack of energy because your cells have no glucose (a type of sugar) to burn

• Increased hunger because your body senses the lack of glucose and wants food

• Increased thirst and urination because the excess sugar in your blood can increase urine production, which eliminates water from the body

• Weight loss because your body burns fat for energy when it can’t process glucose

• Blurred vision because high blood sugar levels lead to fluid buildup in the lens of your eye

• Tingling or numbness in hands or feet because high blood sugar levels damage or irritate nerves

• Numerous infections and slow healing because high blood sugar causes the immune system, your body’s defense against disease, to work poorly

• Sexual problems because high blood sugar causes impotence and changes in lubrication

Who Should Get Tested?

Because people tend to overlook the above symptoms, or attribute them to "getting older' many people find out they have Type 2 Diabetes when they develop a serious complication, which may include kidney or heart disease, blindness, and nerve damage.

The most common way to diagnose Diabetes is to test your blood sugar level. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recently revised its standards, which define who has Diabetes. A few years ago, if your fasting blood sugar level was 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) you were considered normal. That is no longer the case. So if you have not been tested for Diabetes recently and you have some of these symptoms, you should probably talk to a doctor. The ADA states that all adults ages 45 and over be tested every three years for Diabetes.

Diabetes is diagnosed using simple blood tests:

Fasting blood glucose test. In this most commonly used test, your blood sugar level is tested after you have not eaten for at least eight hours. Levels of 126 mg/dl and higher indicate Diabetes. If your blood sugar is between 110 mg/dl and 125 mg/dl you probably have a condition known as impaired glucose tolerance, in which your body is not processing sugars properly but is not at the point where it can be called Diabetes. Levels below 110 are normal.

Casual blood glucose test. Your blood sugar is tested at any time, without regard to when you last ate. A level of 200 mg/dl or higher indicates Diabetes, if you are experiencing symptoms of Diabetes, such as thirst or frequent urination.

Oral glucose tolerance test. This test is usually done in pregnant women only. The patient is asked to eat a diet high in carbohydrates for three days before the test, and then fast overnight.  The patient then goes to the doctor's office first thing in the morning. Your fasting blood glucose level is measured first. The patient then drinks a liquid that has 75 grams of glucose in it, and your blood sugar level is tested several times over the next three hours. A blood sugar level of 200 mg/dl after two hours indicates Diabetes. A level of 140 to 200 mg/dl indicates that your body does not handle glucose well. Below 140 is considered normal but those in the higher range may be at risk for Diabetes in the future.

Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). High blood sugar causes your level of HbA1c to rise in the blood. It does not drop down as quickly as your blood sugar level, so a blood test for this factor will reflect what your average blood sugar level has been over the last month. A level of 7 or above usually indicates Diabetes. This test is usually used to confirm other the results from other tests.

Glossary of Terms Concerning Diabetes:

beta cell: specialized cells that are found in the pancreas. These cells sense how much glucose or sugar is in the bloodstream and, in healthy people, produce just enough insulin to help the body use the glucose. In people with diabetes, beta cells no longer produce insulin or don't produce enough of it.

blood glucose (blood sugar):a form of sugar that is produced upon digestion of certain types of foods. Glucose travels through the bloodstream to cells where, with the help of insulin, it is burned to give you energy. Blood glucose levels tell how much glucose is traveling in your bloodstream and is measured to see how well your insulin is working.

gestational diabetes: diabetes that occurs during pregnancy; a woman’s body is unable to use glucose during this time. Gestational diabetes is treated very aggressively because high blood sugars during pregnancy because problems in the fetus.

hyperglycemia:a side effect of diabetes that occurs when blood sugar levels fall too low. Symptoms can include sweating, dizziness, confusion, heart pounding, and headache. Treatment is usually a sweet snack to raise blood sugar. Also called an insulin reaction.

hyperosmolar-nonketotic coma:a condition that occurs when blood sugar levels get so high the person becomes dehydrated, possibly leading to convulsions; signaled by excessive thirst or urination, drowsiness, vomiting, abdominal pain. Emergency care is necessary.

impaired glucose tolerance: a condition in which the body does not process blood sugar in the proper way.

insulin: a hormone, or chemical "messenger" that is normally produced in the beta cells of the pancreas and helps body cells to admit glucose.

insulin resistance:a condition in which a person may have plenty of insulin circulating in the body but, for some reason, the body resists using it to get glucose into the cells. Insulin resistance is a common condition in Type 2 diabetes.

mg/dl. milligrams per deciliter: measurement used to describe blood sugar levels; for example, a level of 140 mg/dl means there is 140 milligrams of glucose in one deciliter of blood.

nephropathy: a condition in which the kidneys' ability to filter wastes from the blood is damaged; a common complication of diabetes. An early sign of this is spilling protein in the urine. Health care providers closely monitor for protein spillage in the urine.

retinopathy: a condition in which the blood vessels in the retina, at the back of the eye, are damaged, leading to vision problems and possibly blindness; a common complication of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes: sometimes called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes because it often appears most often in children in young adults; the body makes little, if any, insulin.. People with Type 1 diabetes must take regular injections of insulin to stay healthy.

Type 2 diabetes: sometimes known as non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes; the body produces some insulin, although insufficient, or the body cannot use the insulin it does make. Many people who have this disease can control it with diet and exercise alone. Others need to take pills that help their body to use insulin or have injections of insulin.

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