Diabetes is an illness wherein the body cannot properly produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that converts glucose, starch, or sugar into energy. Insulin is an important factor in our everyday life. Sugar in our body must be constantly burned to provide us with the energy to do our daily routines. Although the major cause of diabetes is still unknown, some factors such as genes and the environment can help trigger the disease.

Types of Diabetes

Diabetes has three types, namely Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, and Pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes is considered the first stage of diabetes. If not treated or diagnosed early, this may lead to Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes. Pre-diabetes is more of a stage of awareness that your blood sugar levels are higher than the tolerable amount.

The second stage of this illness is Type 2 Diabetes. The body of a Type 2 Diabetic can still produce the needed insulin but the beta cells fail to function well. Type 2 Diabetes is caused either because the produced insulin may either be not enough to meet the quotas of our body or the cells do not respond properly. In other words, insulin found on patients of Type 2 Diabetes does not work as it normally should. Persons with this illness tend to change their lifestyles. Among the recommended treatment and management measures are having a healthy diet, losing weight, and a regular exercise regimen. Others take oral or intravenous insulin while some take in medication.

The considered most complicated case of diabetes is Type 1 Diabetes. This type of diabetes is caused by an autoimmune disorder. An autoimmune disorder is a problem with the immune system of the body. In a normal and healthy body, beta cells found in the pancreas produces insulin. For persons with Type 1 Diabetes, the immune system attacks the beta cells for they mistakenly confuse them as invaders. When a huge amount of beta cells are destroyed, symptoms and signs of diabetes will appear.

Progression of the Symptoms of Diabetes

There are numerous signs and symptoms of diabetes. The onset of diabetes is apparently left unnoticed by many people affected by the disease because some of its symptoms seem normal or harmless. These signs and symptoms vary in every individual. It is best to consult a physician to perform the necessary tests to prove whether you may or may not have this illness. Bear in mind that only a licensed physician can determine whether that signs and symptoms manifested by your body authentically signify diabetes.

The symptoms of diabetes are progressive, depending on the rate of blood glucose or sugar levels in the body. The symptoms may appear mild and harmless, such as the poor healing of rashes or blurry vision. Some people also mistake these symptoms for that of another disease or ailment. After some time, these symptoms start to progress and patients who experience them may feel a little off. Some progressive symptoms are urination and excessive thirst. If left untreated or rather mistreated, it can lead into life threatening situations such as DKA or HHNS.

For Type 2 Diabetes patients, some symptoms progress at a slower pace. It is the opposite for Type 1 Diabetes patients for the progression rapidly takes place in about two weeks to one month. Some Type 2 Diabetes patients are left undiagnosed due to lack of symptoms. This is why they encounter complications such as foot and kidney problems. Type 2 Diabetes is difficult to diagnose.

List of Symptoms

Here is a list of symptoms gathered from various sources for diabetes. Bear in mind that symptoms are the ones experienced by the patient while signs are the ones that are noticed by the doctor.

Among the first symptoms of diabetes is having no symptom at all. As impossible as it may seem, most Type 2 Diabetes patients are unaware that they have the disease unless complications arise.

Below is a list of mild to moderate symptoms. These symptoms also include persons who have moderate blood sugar levels. Remember that moderate blood sugar or glucose levels may still lead to complications.

•    Skin rashes
•    Poor healing of the skin
•    Abscess, boil or sore
•    Skin infections such as eczema
•    UTI or Urinary tract Infections
•    Athlete’s foot
•    Dry and itchy skin
•    Flaky skin (may be mistaken for eczema or psoriasis)
•    Candida
•    Thrush
•    Boils on the skin
•    Ulcers on the skin
•    Parenthesias
•    Tingling of the foot
•    Numbness of the foot or feet
•    Peripheral neuropathy
•    Blurry vision
•    Erectile failure
•    Sexual problems
•    Unusual dryness of the vaginal area
•    Absent periods
•    Pre-mature menopause
•    Weight gain
•    Weight loss
•    Malaise
•    Drowsiness
•    Poor healing of wounds from injury, surgery, and minor infections

Below is a list of the more serious symptoms. These symptoms usually show when the blood sugar levels in the body become extremely higher than the normal range.
•    Extreme urination
•    Excessive thirst
•    Bed wetting in children
•    Extreme hunger
•    Dehydration
•    Weight loss
•    Blurry vision to the extreme level
•    Muscle cramps
•    Tiredness
•    Irritability
•    Fatigue
•    Headaches
•    Worsening of acne
•    Muscle weakness
•    Sexual problems which involves unusual dryness of the vaginal area as well as erectile failure
•    Absent menstruation
•    Constant skin infections (mostly fungal infections) such as tinea, thrush, or Candida and athlete’s foot
•    DKA or Diabetic Ketoacidosis – This is a severe complication caused by high blood glucose levels in the body that may result to death when diabetes is treated too late. This requires emergency treatment. This complication has severe symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, difficulty in breathing, sweet-smelling fruity breath, and rapid pulse rate. Children also experience abdominal pain.
•    HHNS or Hyperglycemic Hypersmolar Nonketotic Syndrome – Like Diabetic Ketoacidosis, it is a fatal complication caused by extremely high blood sugar levels.

A Better Understanding of the Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes

Most signs of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes are alike. These two types of diabetes do not produce the needed insulin for the body to function well. This means that the body is not operating well enough and certain parts of the body are becoming greatly affected. As a result, the body gives off signs and symptoms as a signal that something is wrong inside.
Excessive or Unquenchable Thirst – This symptom is usually manifested during the severe stages of diabetes. Patients may feel that they are not drinking enough; so they tend to drink more than the usual amount of water. This may be a sign of diabetes especially if it is also accompanied by frequent urination. In diabetes, the body is pulling more than the usual amount of water from the blood. This makes the diabetic patient urinate more frequently than the non-diabetic person. As a result, the patient becomes dehydrated and tends to have the need to drink more to replace the water that he had lost.

Losing a Lot of Weight Even Without Trying - This symptom is greatly noticeable with Type 1 Diabetes. With Type 1 Diabetes, the beta cells stop to create insulin either because of a viral attack or an attack of the insulin-producing cells by the immune system. The body tends to look for another energy source due to the lack of glucose on the cells. The body then breaks down fat and muscle tissues for energy. With Type 2 Diabetes, the insulin resistance happens gradually so weight loss is not that rapid compared to Type 1 Diabetes.
Frequent Visits to the Bathroom – When the glucose level in our blood is at a very high rate, frequent urination becomes more common than usual. On the other hand, the kidneys may not be able to filter glucose and place it back in to the blood if insulin is ineffective or nonexistent. Kidneys tend to be overwhelmed and their reaction is to draw out all the extra water in the blood to reduce the glucose. This reaction keeps the urinary bladder always full thus making the person urinate more than usual.

Fatigue and Weakness – This symptom is again triggered by the glucose level in our body, notwithstanding whether it is too much or too little in quantity. The glucose we get in our food moves into the bloodstream. From there, the insulin is supposed to aid the transition into the cells. If there is not enough insulin in the body, or if the insulin cannot perform its duty and the cells do not react to the insulin, the tendency is for the glucose to stay outside the cells in our blood. As a result, the cells are starved from energy thus making the person feel rundown and tired.

Numbness or Tingling Sensation of the Hands and Feet – This symptom gradually occurs over time. It is also called neuropathy. This happens when high consistent rates of glucose in the bloodstream damage the body’s central nervous system. Since the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes are gradual, the blood sugar in the body may have been consecutively high for years. Nerve damages can happen without the person’s knowledge.