Signs of Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus, most commonly known as Diabetes, can be simply defined as a metabolic disorder or syndrome where the human body fails to regulate the blood glucose levels. As a result, individuals tend to suffer with abnormally high concentrations of glucose in the blood, a condition that can be medically termed as “hyperglycemia”. Diabetes is one of the most dreaded diseases affecting human life. More than 16 million Americans are already suffering with the signs of diabetes and another 5-6 million individuals are not even aware that they are diabetic.  

Regulating glucose levels inside the human body is extremely important for the entire system to remain healthy and functional. Glucose is primarily derived from the diet in the form of carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are processed in the liver through a series of metabolic processes, thereby releasing the glucose into the blood. Blood transports this glucose to various organs in the body. So to ensure a continuous supply of glucose into the blood and to various body tissues, glucose regulation is essential and this is accomplished by two hormones that are secreted by the pancreas namely, insulin and glucagan. In normal conditions, insulin promotes glucose uptake by various body cells and glucagan stimulates glucose secretion into the blood from the liver. Any deregulation in the process can result in the accumulation of glucose in the blood, a condition termed as diabetes.  

Diabetes can be broadly classified into 3 categories.  

Type 1 Diabetes: Also termed as juvenile diabetes, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, also called as beta islets, are destroyed by self-reactive T-cells. As a result, pancreas can no longer secrete insulin.  

Type 2 Diabetes: Also known as NIDDM, Type 2 diabetes can be described as the inability of the cells to take in glucose. This condition occurs when the insulin receptor present on the cell membranes gets deregulated, thereby resulting in insulin resistance, also called as reduced sensitivity of body cells to insulin.  

Gestational Diabetes: This condition is almost similar to type 2 diabetes and appears during pregnancy in about 2-5% women. Through careful medical supervision, it is possible to control this type of diabetes.  

In all the three types, the signs of diabetes are almost similar. The three most important symptoms that characteristically symbolize the presence of diabetes include 

1.      Polyuria (Urge to urinate frequently) – In individuals suffering with diabetes, one tends to notice an increase in the volume and frequency of urination.  

2.      Polydipsia (Excessive thirst) – Increased glucose concentrations indicates brain cells towards higher water intake so as to dilute the glucose.  

3.      Polyphagia (excessive hunger) – One important role of insulin is to stimulate brain cells for food intake when the blood glucose levels decrease. In case of type 2 diabetes, individuals tend to feel excessively hungry.   

These three symptoms of diabetes appear in the initial stages of the disease. Apart from these, some other diabetes early signs include presence of excessive glucose either in the blood or urine or both, increased fatigue, anorexia, hyperglycemia, abnormal dehydration, unreasonable weight loss, irritability, drowsiness, tingling sensation or numbness in the feet, blurred vision, increased susceptibility to infections and poor wound healing.  

With this information, you should be able to pinpoint the signs of diabetes much more closely.