“It is all about sugar,” they say. And most of us know someone who undergoes diabetes, or sugar problems. The majority understand that the problem with glucose relays on an abnormal production or use of insulin. This is the chemical compound responsible for introducing glucose inside the cells to promote converting sugar into energy.
But not everybody knows there are various types of diabetes. Out of those, type 2 diabetes is the most common form of this illness. So, if you happen to be one of those who think this illness is all about sugar, we invite you to keep reading and be aware of the following series of signs and symptoms. At this point, there is a disclaimer set: due to the nature of this illness, these symptoms are not always linked to diabetes, and only a professional would tell whether or not you should be worried. So, if you read this article and suspect you might suffer from diabetes, go straight to your doctor and share your signs and symptoms to get an accurate diagnosis.
The most common symptoms are as follows:
1. Increased hunger and thirst
Drinking and eating may count as a sign of good health, or at least most of the time. But, in the case of type 2 diabetes, the body experiences an increased level of glucose in the bloodstream, and this causes an alteration of fluids in the tissues. The kidneys try to drain excess glucose through the urine, drags extra water in the process, and as a consequence, the patient feels an excessive thirst, or the urge to drink, which is clinically named polydipsia. By the way, this excess drinking leads to another problem we will talk about later on.
Sugar is the fastest source of energy in the cell. So when your cells are not able to obtain glucose (a form of sugar) as the fuel they use for working, both muscles and organs will end up in need of energy. Ironically, even though the bloodstream may be full of glucose (what doctors call hyperglycemia), there’s not enough insulin to bring this glucose inside the cell. The brain interprets this lack of energy as malnourishment, and makes you feel more hunger than usual.
2. Unexplained weight loss
Most of the people concerned about their appearance make special efforts to control their weight. So, someone may feel good after considering their metabolism is working well and, therefore, he or she is losing weight thanks to the exercise routine. But it is not the same thing, and it is quite worrying if you’re losing weight without even starting an exercise routine or changing your diet. Something is happening.
Weight reduction might sound wonderful in the beginning, but in time it becomes a real problem. In type 2 diabetes there is an accumulation of glucose in the blood and a subsequent reduction of glucose inside the cell. Since this is the primary source of energy, your body will be more inclined to burn calories instead of storing them as fat. Moreover, your fatty tissue will not be stimulated to store fat because there’s not enough circulating insulin or it does not work as it should. That is why many patients coping with diabetes struggle for keeping themselves in the right weight to avoid some other complications that come along with the illness.
3. Frequent urination
Due to the increased amount of liquids taken, it is logical to have an increase in the frequency of urination in a patient. But there is a factor that adds to it. The excess sugar or hyperglycemia must be controlled, and kidneys response is to excrete it in the urine. The problem is that this kind of urination not only gets rid of the excess glucose but also drags along fluids from tissues, which leads to dehydration.
We can divide diabetes frequent urination in two effects on the urinary system: short term and long-term effects. We can mention there is the risk of bacterial growth promoted by high blood sugar levels or hyperglycemia, as part of the short-term effects. And the more bacteria around, the bigger the risk of infections in the urinary tract or thrush developing. On the side of long-term effects affecting the urinary system, we must mention the damage to kidneys and nerves that control the bladder. This will also make urinating more complicated and might cause urinary incontinence as a late consequence of diabetes.
4. Slow healing
After a wound or bruise, your defense system will act immediately, dividing the labor into three main stages. All of these have blood circulation as the main factor for healing faster.
The first stage focuses on preventing any infections, so for this, as part of the immune response, the wound will become inflamed because increased blood circulation surrounds the affected area. But in the case of type 2 diabetes, blood circulation tends to be slower.
In the next stage, new cells are driven to the wound in order to contribute to the healing process. But, again, weak blood presence avoids new white cells to arrive faster for closing the wound. As for the third stage, on a normal healing process, some scar tissue protects the wound till complete recovery of the original tissue.
The problem with type 2 diabetes is that such a prolonged increase of glucose in the blood leads to vascular damage and neuropathy. Vascular damage affects the inner portion of the blood vessels, and such alteration leads to a reduction in the capacity of the body to reach certain spots in the body and the skin. Thus, circulation is compromised and healing problems start. Neuropathy contributes to this problem because patients often reduce their sensitivity to nervous impulses and might get a wound or ulcer without even noticing.
5. Chronic fatigue
On this topic, there is a lot that has been researched, because it has many factors involved. If we consider fatigue as physical or mental exhaustion, we can find it as a symptom of the disease, or the consequence of undergoing different complications related to it. So, to wrap all the elements up, it has been given the name of Diabetes Fatigue Syndrome (DFS).
Considering DFS as an individual part of diabetes itself, there is a bidirectional relationship found that, at the same time, feeds the disease and gets worsened by it. Doctors call this a vicious cycle. Let us consider some examples. A patient may feel fatigued due to a poor diet, and this can be linked to a natural complication of diabetes as heart failure, which also leads to chronic fatigue. Additionally, these patients have ongoing energy problems, and even if they feed appropriately, their insulin level does not allow glucose inside the cells, and this contribute to feel tired with low energy levels.
6. Increased susceptibility to infections
As we stated before, there is an undeniable increased risk of infection among people with diabetes compared with the general population. There is an extensive range list of those risks, starting with bacterial infections, like pneumonia, and continuing with fungal diseases or mycoses. If we add to the list those problems related to lifestyle habits, being morbidly obese, or being currently smoking, the susceptibility to infections doubles. We must mention that all the former risks increase even more if the patient is living in a deprived area and in susceptible or immunocompromised population.
7. Visual problems
In type 2 diabetes there is a wide range of visual problems, from a mild blurred vision to total blindness. Medical science comprises all the eyes conditions affecting people with diabetes into the group of diabetic eye disease. Inside this group of clinical entities, we can name diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema (DME), cataract, and glaucoma. Let us see a brief review of such conditions.
In diabetic retinopathy, the blood circulation problems damage the retina, which is the light-sensitive part of our eyes. This is the most common cause of visual problems among type 2 diabetes patients. As a consequence of the retinopathy, there is another medical problem: diabetic macular edema, which is swelling in the macula, an area of the retina.
One of the bad news for diabetic people at risk of undergoing visual problems is that the disease often develops without any notice. When the patient sees “floating” spots in the visual field, it may be because of bleeding from abnormal retinal blood vessels. Those spots sometimes resolve after a while, but it may repeat over and over again, increasing the risk of permanent vision loss.
If you have experienced a blurred vision, it might be caused by an increase in glucose levels because the fluid problems it creates would affect the proper functioning of the eyes. This blurred vision is reversible as soon as the glucose levels go back to normal.
It is essential to emphasize the fact that controlling diabetes by following the prescribed treatment and keeping a healthy lifestyle can prevent (or at least delay) vision loss.
8. Numbness and itching
The neuropathy that goes along with type 2 diabetes causes numbness, especially in the feet as a symptom of the nerve damage with tingling pain or an awkward, dull sensation. Such tingling pain may also be felt in the hands. Some patients have described the sensation as if “pins and needles” were stitched in their body parts.
Nerve damage would also make patients experience itchy skin, especially when there are high levels of cytokines in the skin and the bloodstream. Itching can be defined as the mildest expression of pain, so we could detect nerve problems in diabetic patients if we take a closer look and consider itching as an important symptom.
9. High blood pressure
Based on statistics, patients with type 2 diabetes usually have high blood pressure as well. Experiencing diabetes elevates a patient’s risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, or any other health problems. This risk also works otherwise: if a patient suffers high blood pressure problems, there is a high risk of ending up in diabetes because all the issues it brings along. In both cases, as each disease starts to pile up, the risk of health problems raises even more.
When determining this problem, most doctors will start procedures and treatments in order to make sure blood pressure is under control. People with diabetes and high blood pressure are frequently given blood pressure drugs (also known as ACE inhibitors). Those medications have the task of becoming angiotensin receptor blockers. The original purpose of ACEs is helping in the protection of kidneys.
Do you want some advice on how to prevent type 2 diabetes? Well, there is a lot. Prevention is mostly focused on lifestyle habits that go from having a balanced diet up to getting a consistent exercise routine, which of course, will keep weight on a reasonable level. Damaging health habits (smoking, or excessive alcohol intake) are a risk factor for every possible body problem; it is especially true in the case of type 2 diabetes. It is also a fact that even having a higher risk of developing this type of diabetes due to heritage, for example, the same healthy path will help in delaying the onset of diabetes.
Now, the good news is, that even if it is not possible to altogether avoid this disease, it is pretty easy to live a normal life with suitable treatment, including insulin injections or tablets; or a combination of them. Medical science is advancing in finding both answers and better treatments every day. So, this is something to step to.
References
Feinmann, J. (2018). Type 2 diabetes: 5000 patients to test feasibility of “remission service”.
Kalra, S., & Sahay, R. (2018). Diabetes Fatigue Syndrome.
Lee, J. H., Lee, R., Hwang, M. H., Hamilton, M. T., & Park, Y. (2018). The effects of exercise on vascular endothelial function in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetology & metabolic syndrome, 10(1), 15.
Dheir, I. M., Mettleq, A. S. A., Elsharif, A. A., Al-Qumboz, M. N. A., & Abu-Naser, S. S. (2019). Knowledge Based System for Diabetes Diagnosis Using SL5 Object.