Diabetes is a serious condition that is lifelong and life threatening if not treated with respect. In the United States alone, it is estimated that over 20 million individuals suffer from this disease. Of those, it is estimated that at least 6 million have not been diagnosed. That is a lot of people that have diabetes and are not aware they have this disease.
What are the beginning signs of diabetes to look for ?
Many individuals discover they are diabetic only when they visit their family doctors for other ailments. It are these early warning signs of diabetes that many people attribute to other conditions.
1. Frequency of urination – This happens when blood sugar levels are raised, increasing the amount of blood flowing through the kidneys. Many people, as they get older, will experience increased urination problems. They write this condition off as growing older. When diabetes is the cause, it needs to be diagnosed. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to the kidneys failing and shutting down.
2. Extreme hunger – Because of the lack of insulin the body is not producing, the body receives signals it is hungry. This symptom is experienced when the body’s energy is deficient from not receiving enough insulin from the blood stream to the cells.
3. Unexplained, or sudden weight loss – When the body is not receiving enough cellular energy, the body begins to break down it’s own fat and muscle to replace the energy, the body is lacking.
4. Fatigue – Feeling tired and rundown is caused by the decreased energy levels.
5. Depression and irritability are no experienced as a result of the above symptom the body is going through because of the diabetes.
6. Extreme thirst is also triggered due to the diabetes depleting the body of energy.
7. Impaired vision can also be experienced as a symptom of diabetes when more blood volume leads to the eye’s lens swelling. When diabetes is left untreated, blindness can be experienced.
8. Loss of feeling or numbness, usually in the feet, legs, arms or hands areas of the body. Experiencing any of these symptoms in any of these areas can be a warning sign of diabetes.
If you are experiencing any of the beginning signs of diabetes, you should get tested. Testing for diabetes is also recommended for individuals that are over forty-five years of age and overweight. Diabetes and pre-diabetes testing is diagnosed by checking the blood glucose levels of a person’s blood.
These symptoms and others will progress in time and get more critical if the diabetes is present and goes undiagnosed and untreated. These beginning signs of diabetes should not be ignored. As this disease progresses, more complications will arise, putting your life in jeopardy.
This is not a disease that will go away by itself. Diabetes will only progress if not treated. In the United States, diabetes is sixth leading cause of death. To learn more about this disease, you can contact the American Diabetes Association online.