The Early Signs of Type 2 Diabetes

The symptoms may be mild and easy to dismiss at first and are commonly diagnosed at a later stage

Diabetes is a medical condition which occurs when the blood glucose level is high. This happens when your body’s cells aren’t able to respond to insulin. Pancreas produces the hormone insulin that helps move the glucose from the blood into the cells to be used for energy.

Type 2 diabetes prevents your body from using insulin the right way. Hence people with Type 2 diabetes are said to have insulin resistance. It is a progressive condition that can lead to chronic high blood glucose levels.

Type 2 diabetes symptoms can easily be missed because they appear slowly. The symptoms may be mild and easy to dismiss at first.

Here are the early signs of type 2 diabetes

• 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.

• Excessive thirst – The frequent urination that is necessary to remove excess sugar from the blood can result in the body losing additional water. Over time, this can cause dehydrationand lead to a person feeling more thirsty than usual.

• Increased hunger – People with diabetes often do not get enough energy from the food they eat. The digestive system breaks food down into a simple sugar called glucose, which the body uses as fuel. In people with diabetes, not enough of this glucose moves from the bloodstream into the body’s cells. As a result, people with type 2 diabetes often feel constantly hungry, regardless of how recently they have eaten.

• Feeling tired and lethargic – Type 2 diabetes can impact on a person’s energy levels and cause them to feel very tired or fatigued. This tirednessoccurs as a result of insufficient sugar moving from the bloodstream into the body’s cells.

• Itchy skin and yeast infection – Excess sugar in the blood and urine provides food for yeast, which can lead to infection. Yeast infections tend to occur on warm, moist areas of the skin, such as the mouth, genital areas, and armpits. The affected areas are usually itchy, but a person may also experience burning, redness, and soreness.

• Darken skin – Patches of dark skin forming on the creases of the neck, armpit, or groin can also signify a higher risk of diabetes. These patches may feel very soft and velvety. This skin condition is known as acanthosis nigricans.

• Blurry vision – An excess of sugar in the blood can damage the tiny blood vessels in the eyes, which can cause blurry vision. This blurry vision can occur in one or both of the eyes and may come and go. If a person with diabetes goes without treatment, the damage to these blood vessels can become more severe, and permanent vision loss may eventually occur.

• Wounds that won’t heal or sores – High levels of sugar in the blood can damage the body’s nerves and blood vessels, which can impair blood circulation. As a result, even small cuts and wounds may take weeks or months to heal. Slow wound healing also increases the risk of infection.

However Type 2 diabetes can be managed with a combination of regular physical exercise and a healthy lifestyle. But it may also require oral medication and insulin injections.

If you have more than two of the mentioned signs you should consult your doctor. Diabetes can become life-threatening if untreated.