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The symptoms of diabetes may begin gradually and can be hard to
identify at first. They may include fatigue, a sick feeling, frequent
urination, especially at night, and excessive thirst. When there is
extra glucose in blood, one way the body gets rid of it is through
frequent urination. This loss of fluids causes extreme thirst. Other
symptoms
may include sudden weight loss, blurred vision, and slow healing
of skin, gum and urinary tract infections. Women may notice genital
itching.
| Points to Remember
- The symptoms of diabetes can develop gradually and may be
hard to identify at first.
- Symptoms may include feeling tired or ill, excessive thirst,
frequent urination, sudden weight loss, blurred vision, slow
healing of infections, and genital itching.
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A doctor also may suspect a patient has diabetes if the person has
health problems related to diabetes. For instance, heart disease,
changes in vision, numbness in the feet and legs or sores that are
slow to heal, may prompt a doctor to check for diabetes. These
symptoms do not mean a person has diabetes, but anyone who has these
problems should see a doctor.
This page lists the
symptoms of diabetes when it first develops.
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The classic symptoms of diabetes are:
- frequent urination, with large volumes of urine (polyuria),
- excessive thirst (polydipsia),
- hunger (polyphagia), and
- weight loss.
Other symptoms might include:
- fatigue,
- blurry vision,
- odd aches and pains,
- dry mouth,
- dry or itchy skin,
- impotence (in a male),
- vaginal yeast infections (in a female),
- poor healing of cuts and scrapes, or
- excessive or unusual infections.
Not everybody will have every one of these symptoms. Indeed, some people may have no symptoms at all!
You can take the
Diabetes Risk Test
to help tell if you have diabetes and not know it.
If you have these symptoms, then you'll need testing of your blood sugar levels.
Further information about testing for diabetes may be found at
Testing for Diabetes.
Further information about the diagnosis and classification of diabetes may be found at
Classification
and Diagnostic Criteria for Diabetes.
Modified from a webpage at the
US government's Federal Citizen Information Center
Last updated: 10 February 1997
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/noninsulin-diabetes/symp.htm
Also see
high and low blood glucose symptoms and causes
low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
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