Diabetes Symptoms
If you seem to have all the symptoms of diabetes, your doctor should perform the tests that will determine whether you have it—and what type it is. Even if you don't appear to be at risk, knowing diabetes symptoms and causes may help you or a loved one make the lifestyle changes that will decrease the risk further.
Type 1 Diabetes
Although Type 1 diabetes (often called Juvenile Onset Diabetes) used to be categorized as a childhood or young adult disease, it can occur at any age. Diabetes symptoms begin out of nowhere and can develop over just a few days. If the person doesn’t have a family history of the disease, the possibility of diabetes may not even be considered.
The classic signs of diabetes are:
excessive urination including frequent trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night
intense thirst and hunger
severe fatigue.
As Type 1 diabetes progresses other signs of diabetes may include:
dry skin
blurred vision
unexplained weight loss
thin, malnourished appearance.
Fortunately many of these diabetic signs are similar to a more controllable form of the disease, Type 2 diabetes. Only 5-10% of the people expressing the classic diabetic symptoms will be diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
Type 2 Diabetes
Physical health is key to this syndrome—80% of Type 2 diabetics are overweight and physically inactive. This was once thought to be a middle-aged disease, but since childhood obesity has been on the rise, cases of Type 2 diabetes are being diagnosed at every age. The majority of Type 2 diabetics are still over 55.
As Type 2 diabetes progresses, some diabetes symptoms may become apparent:
fatigue and/or nausea
frequent urination
excessive thirst
weight loss
blurred vision
frequent infections and slow healing of wounds or sores
blood pressure consistently at or above 140/90
Gestational Diabetes
Sometimes a woman can develop a form of diabetes during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is the most common complication of pregnancy and can endanger the life of the mother as well as the child. Thankfully, with early diagnosis of diabetic signs and careful monitoring, the severity of this syndrome can be controlled. It is usually only a temporary syndrome that lasts until delivery. It can, however, place the mother at risk to develop Type 2 diabetes later in life. All expectant mothers are usually carefully monitored during their regular checkups, especially if they fall into a high-risk group:
older than 25 years of age
20% above ideal body weight
a family history of diabetes
member of a high-risk ethnic group
What is Diabetes?
Have you ever wondered how your body actually obtains energy from the food you eat? Actually, every cell in the body requires energy to perform its functions. One of the primary fuels the body uses to supply energy to cells is a molecule called glucose, a sugar extracted from food sources during digestion. Without glucose, the cell runs out of energy and dies.
Starving in a Sea of Glucose
After eating, the level of glucose in the blood rises. The help of a special molecule called insulin is required to transfer the sugar from the blood into the cells for the production of energy. Insulin is the key that opens the door to let glucose into the cells.
Human insulin is produced in a large gland behind the stomach called the pancreas. In the pancreas are some special cells called the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans. These are the cells that produce human insulin.
In a non-diabetic person, the beta cells secrete insulin when blood sugar rises, and when the blood sugar level drops the production of insulin stops.
In a Type 1 diabetic, the beta cells produce little or no human insulin. When this happens the blood sugar level begins to rise to a dangerous level. Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which the cells are starving in a sea of glucose.
Why a Diabetic Responds This Way
Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is thought to be an autoimmune disease—the immune system attacks a healthy part of the body. Researchers believe that a person who develops this disease may have been exposed at some time by an “environmental trigger” such as a virus or food protein. In Type 1 diabetes, beta cells are attacked and insulin is not produced. When this happens the blood glucose level begins to build up and has no way to enter the cell.
This excess of blood glucose is the direct cause of the classic diabetes symptoms. The kidneys respond by trying to eliminate the excess glucose, eliminating water along with the sugar. This results in frequent and excessive urination and in turn causes intense thirst. Since the cells are not receiving fuel, they trigger the hunger sensation. Because the cells are unable to use the glucose, they pull fuel from other sources—fat stores and muscle—and the diabetic person begins to lose weight.
Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes
Other diabetic diseases are based on the cells’ inability to recognize the helper molecule insulin. Type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes are syndromes that can be strongly triggered by a person’s weight, level of exercise and lifestyle.
A person with Type 2 diabetes or gestational diabetes produces too much insulin and can’t use it effectively.
The pancreas of those with Type 2 diabetes eventually decreases insulin production and the person will have the same symptoms and risks as those with Type 1 diabetes. Without proper, early diagnosis, intervention, and compliance with physician’s instructions, Type 2 diabetics can develop serious complications.
While gestational diabetes ends after the woman gives birth, she is at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes later in life
