Common Symptoms of Type II Diabetes

Over 25 million people in the U.S. have type 2 diabetes, which means they don’t utilize insulin properly (a condition called insulin resistance) and blood glucose (or sugar) levels end up much higher than what is healthy.

However, the majority of individuals with diabetes are not aware they have the condition due to the fact that the symptoms, on their own, seem more like annoyances then signs of a dangerous condition. Your best hope is early diagnoses if you want to avoid serious diabetes complications—such as kidney disease, vision problems, and thyroid issues. Here are the ten most common early warning signs of type 2 diabetes…



1. Numbness

Numbness that starts as a tingling in the hands, fingers, legs, and feet is often an early warning sign of diabetes. This occurs due to an increase in blood sugar levels, causing blood vessel restriction to the extremities, and eventually damage to nerve fibers. For many, this numbness is often the first sign of any health issues.

Diabetes numbness presents in a prickly, tingling, or pain in the hands and feet that starts out minor at first, but as the nerve damage progresses over times, and sometimes years, mild tingling can become chronic and quite painful, involving motor function, sensory,  autonomic and involuntary nervous system response with a sudden and painful and numbness in the fingers, toes, feet, hands, legs, and arms, sometimes accompanied by muscle wasting of the hands and feet

2. Increased Urination

Typically, diabetes sufferers claim they had an overwhelming urge to urinate, and when they do urinate the amount is quite significant. This increased urination is what often spurs a doctor’s visit and a type II diabetes diagnoses.  This increased urination will often result in severe dehydration. So it’s vital to keep your fluid levels high. If the body becomes dehydrated, immune function decreases, leaving you susceptible to all sorts of illnesses and even damaged kidney function.

Polyuria is how doctors refer to increased urination. It characterizes a condition that causes the output of urine to increase more than usual and passes abnormally large amounts of urine (typically more than 3 litres per day compared to the average 1 to 2 litres per day) each time you go to the bathroom. Polyuria is a common symptoms of type II diabetes (and also type I diabetes).

3. Weight Loss

Rapid and unexplained weight loss is common to unmediated type 2 diabetes because the body can’t absorb glucose (sugars) properly. This occurs with unmanaged type I diabetes in particular. However, patients undiagnosed with type II diabetes who are getting insufficient insulin, which transports glucose from the blood into the body’s cells to use as energy, can also experience considerable and sudden weight loss with no obvious cause (no exercise or dietary changes).

When the body is unable to get adequate insulin, it will begin to burn off fat and muscle as a source of energy. Obviously, this will considerable eat into and reduce overall body weight. If you have suddenly and unintentionally shed between 5 and 10-pounds of body weight in less than 6-months, talk to your doctor immediately. Your doctor can conduct a blood test to determined undiagnosed diabetes and begin treatment immediately to manage insulin levels.

4. Increase in Appetite

With sudden weight loss often comes an increase in appetite, which might make you feel fortunate at first because you feel like you can eat anything you want without consequences. However, your body is in a diabetic state, robbing your cells of essential energy, which explains the increased hunger that often isn’t satiated for long after eating a meal.

Increased appetite, when you consume more calories than your body requires for energy expenditure may lead to weight gain. Although, it’s  normal to have an increased appetite after physical exertion, but this is generally alleviated after eating. However, a significantly increased appetite over a prolonged period could be a symptom of a serious illness, such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism. If you are experiencing excessive hunger that is ongoing, make an appointment to see your doctor.

5. Blurry Vision

You may already know that diabetes can lead to vision issues and even blindness if left untreated. It’s true; blurred vision is a common cue of type 2 diabetes. This occurs as glucose levels spike, damaging blood vessels and restricting fluid to the eyes. If a diabetes diagnoses isn’t made, the patient could suffer complete vision loss. According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes patients  a higher risk of minor eye disorders and blindness vs. those without the disease. This is why regular optometrist exams are important.

Diabetes patients are also have a 40-percent higher risk of developing glaucoma (a condition that causes pressure in the eye and retina nerve damage) compared to non-diabetic individuals. Statistics from the American Diabetes Association claim that the longer a patient has diabetes, the higher the glaucoma risk. Likewise, cataracts (the clouding over of the eye’s lens) risk is 60-percent higher in patents with diabetes
source:http://www.activebeat.com/