Symptoms of Diabetes

Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

| A |

| B |

| C |

| D |

| E |

| F |

| G |

| H |

| I |

| J |

| K |

| L |

| M |

| N |

| O |

| P |

| Q |

| R |

| S |

| T |

| U |

| V |

| W |

| X |

| Y |

Without treatment the main symptoms are:

feeling very thirsty,
producing excessive amounts of urine (going to the toilet a lot),
tiredness, and
weight loss and muscle wasting (loss of muscle bulk).

Other symptoms can include:

itchiness around the vagina or penis or getting thrush regularly, because the excess sugar in the urine encourages infections;
blurred vision, this is caused by the eye lens becoming very dry; and
damage to the kidneys, because of too much urination, over time this can lead to kidney failure.

Symptoms of type I diabetes can develop quickly, over days or weeks.

A hyperglycaemic attack may occur if your glucose levels become too high , because you haven't taken your insulin . The symptoms of a hyperglycaemic attack can include dehydration, drowsiness and a frequent need to urinate. If left untreated, hyperglycaemia can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, which can eventually cause unconsciousness and even death. Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when your body begins to break down fats for energy instead of glucose, leading to a build up of ketone acids in your blood.

A hypoglycaemic attack may occur if your glucose levels become too low. This may be because you have taken too much insulin. Symptoms of a â€˜hypoâ€™ include feeling shaky and irritable and can be brought under control by eating or drinking something containing fast acting carbohydrates.

Symptoms of type II diabetes usually develop over weeks or months and often people are unaware they have diabetes until it is diagnosed.

Some people with type II diabetes have no or few symptoms. However, they still need to have treatment so that other health problems do not develop later on.