Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus

The pages of this section help answers the questions:

• what is diabetes?
• what causes diabetes?
• what are the signs and symptoms of diabetes?

The overall focus of this section is on the answers to these questions for adult onset type 2 diabetes, although type 1 is often addressed as part of the discussion. Other categories of this website address aspects like how to control diabetes and what are the complications I would have to avoid.

Diabetes Definition: What is Diabetes? 

Diabetes is a disease in which the diabetic's body does not produce or store efficiently enough insulin. Insulin is the hormone which regulates the amount of sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream and in the cells. Diabetes is a short name for Diabetes Mellitus, and there are three basic types of diabetes

Type 1 diabetes often has a childhood (juvenile) onset; it is a process in which the body fails to produce insulin, because the pancreas cannot fully function. Type 2 diabetes (adult onset) is the most common form, and involves resistance to the insulin or a lack of response to it, although there may also be decreased insulin production. The third major type is gestational diabetes, a version that can arise during the biological stress of pregnancy.

What Causes Diabetes?

For most type 1 diabetics, there is an auto-immune attack  on the beta cells of the pancreas; this leaves the diabetic with insufficient insulin. It does not seem to be preventable and the person who develops it did not typically have problems with weight at onset. Unlike type 2 diabetics, at least at first these patients are responsive to insulin, but need to self administer it because the pancreas is not functionally producing insulin. There is likely an inherited susceptibility, and an environmental trigger (specifics are still a matter of debate) that is needed in addition to the genetic vulnerability.

For Type 2 diabetics lifestyle plays a big role. Obesity, poor diet and soft drink excesses, and lack of exercise may all play a role. For the adult onset diabetic, there is also a genetic component (susceptibility can be inherited). Often onset follows a long pre-diabetic stage in which milder versions of the same pattern are noted. In type 2 diabetes the pancreas is still producing insulin, but it is either not enough, or more typically, the body can't make use of (or recognize) the insulin, so that it can't control the sugar (glucose) in the blood. The blood sugar builds to levels that are taxing and damaging.

Signs and Symptoms of Diabetes

While there are a variety of warning signs that might alert a type 2 diabetic that he has a problem, one of the most noticeable for the patient is blurry vision. Many diabetics have first been detected by their ophthalmologist when they showed up complaining of their vision changes. In the early stages these changes could be due to changes in the lens due to too much glucose, or to early signs of Diabetic Retinopathy, a more serious eye problem.

Among the other signs and symptoms of diabetes, are unquenchable thirst and insatiable hunger. Both of these symptoms are hallmarks of Type 1 diabetes, but are often noted in Type 2 as well. Frequent urination is also a sign, and signs and symptoms of diabetes related to wounds are also noteworthy. If you have noticed wounds that do not heal well, or recurring skin, gum, or bladder infections you might have diabetes. For advanced cases that have gone undetected, the feet or fingers may tingle, seem to have too little sensation or feel numb.

Take Action

If you have been experiencing some of these signs and symptoms of diabetes, you need to see a doctor immediately. You need to tell them about the signs and symptoms of diabetes that you have noticed; He will want to check your blood sugar on the day you visit, so be sure to fast that morning and do not eat anything until after your blood work is drawn. Don't wait, early control of your diabetes is very important, and some even think that in the early stages diabetes is reversible, so do not delay.