Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common chronic non-infectious diseases of modern society. It is estimated that global burden of diabetes was 4% during the year 1995 and that it is going to rise to 5.4% by 2025. That would give around 300 million of patients suffering from this disease by 2025. Although there are medications to treat diabetes, the cure has not yet been discovered. However, the earlier the signs and symptoms are discovered, the better are the outcomes of the treatment. Here is how to recognize features of diabetes mellitus in its early stages.Weight Loss
Fat cells and muscle cells need insulin to receive glucose. So, if there is a of level of insulin in the blood or if there is resistance to insulin, the cells do not get enough glucose and lose their mass. The cells are in fact “hungry”, as they are not able to receive glucose which remains in the bloodstream. This results in unexplained weight loss in many people, but it is usually not the only symptom.
Feeling of Fatigue
For the same reason, the whole body becomes exhausted as the cells are not able to utilize glucose. The fatigue is usually chronic and it can be one of the first signs of uncovered diabetes. Tiredness and sleepiness are often joined.
Common InfectionsIf you often get genital or urinary infections for no reason or if you notice delayed wound healing and infections on the skin, you may want to assess the possibility having of diabetes. Poor wound healing and unusual infections are common in both advanced and beginning phase of diabetes.
Dry Mouth and Increased Thirst
You notice thirst whenever you eat large amount of sweets. This is because of increased glucose level in the blood, and it is quite normal. In diabetic patients, glucose blood level is constantly increased, so they feel thirsty all the time and often have dry mouth. The mechanism behind this is increased blood density produced by excess glucose, and the organism tends to keep the optimal density of the blood, in this case by forcing you to drink more water.
Hunger
You may feel hungrier, eat more, and lose weight at the same time. Combination of these features adds to a possibility of having diabetes. The hunger is a consequence of cells not being able to receive glucose from the bloodstream.
Frequent Urination
Frequent urination is often related to diabetes. Namely, glucose acts as an osmotic diuretic and it attracts water. Kidneys generally do not let any glucose to enter the urine, but if the blood glucose level is higher than 11 mmol/L, then glucose appears in the urine and it pulls water with it too. Therefore, people with high glucose blood levels urinate more often.
References
Ramachandran, A. (2014). Know the signs and symptoms of diabetes. The Indian Journal of Medical Research, 140(5), 579–581.
King H, Aubert RE, Herman WH. Global burden of diabetes, 1995-2025: prevalence, numerical estimates, and projections. Diabetes Care. 1998 Sep;21(9):1414-31.
Canadian Diabetes Association Clinical Practice Guidelines Expert Committee. Canadian Diabetes Association 2013 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Diabetes in Canada. Can J Diabetes 2013;37(suppl 1):S1-S212.