15 Symptoms And Signs Of Diabetes

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Simply explained, diabetes is ‘a condition that impairs the body’s ability to process blood glucose, otherwise known as blood sugar.’ When the pancreas, the organ that is tasked to ‘release insulin to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from the food you eat,’ does not function properly, then diabetes can occur. Basically, diabetes happens when the pancreas ‘does not produce any insulin,’ ‘produces very little insulin’ or ‘when the body does not responds appropriately to insulin,’ a condition called “insulin resistance.” But regardless of how one gets diabetes, it is a lifelong disease that affects at least 18.2 million Americans, with another 41 million diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Considering this reportedly affects at least 30 percent of the population, unfortunately, there is still no cure to this difficult and at times fatal disease. When not managed properly, diabetes can affect every part a person’s life, possibly causing blindness, amputation of the feet and legs, strokes, heart disease, and many other complications.

It is also important to point out that there are two different types of diabetes known as Type 1 and Type 2. Easily explained, Type 1 diabetes, which is characterized as being an autoimmune disease since the body attacks its own system, is when someone cannot produce insulin on their own. Type 2, on the other hand, is when people do not ‘respond to insulin as well as they should,’ which is classified as insulin resistance. Although many of the symptoms and signs of diabetes are similar, some of these symptoms are much more prominent for either Type 1 or Type 2, depending on what the patient has. For the most part, people that have Type 1 are said to have been born with the disease, while Type 2 – which is the more common of the two – is usually acquired later on in life due to a breakdown of the pancreas, and other issues within the body.

If you are concerned that you or someone you love is suffering from either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, here are 15 common symptoms and signs to watch out for.

1. Fatigue

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms for patients with undiagnosed diabetes, regardless if it’s Type 1 or Type 2. What happens is that your body uses the food you eat to make glucose, which is then what it uses for energy. But when your body lacks the ability to make insulin, the hormone that allows your cells to take in glucose, or resists the insulin your body is making, then all that glucose can’t reach your cells to give you the energy you need. So if you are feeling extremely fatigued and low energy all the time, enough to disturb all the aspects of your life, then there is a possibility that it’s because of diabetes. Also, when you are suffering from Type 2, the blood can end up thickening and becoming “sludgy.” When this happens, it lacks the ability to bring the necessary nutrients and oxygen throughout the body as well as causing an inflammation of the blood vessels, which can cause extreme exhaustion.