Symptoms of diabetes
- 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, due to the excess sugar in your urine encouraging infections, and
- blurred vision, caused by the lens of your eye becoming very dry.
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes can develop quickly, over weeks or even days.
If your blood glucose levels become too high, you can suffer from hyperglycemia. This can happen if you haven’t taken your insulin, or if you’re ill. The symptoms of hyperglycaemia 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.
If your glucose levels become too low, you can suffer a hypoglycaemic attack. This can happen if you have taken too much insulin or if you've exercised a lot. Symptoms of a ‘hypo’ include feeling shaky and irritable and can be managed by eating or drinking something containing fast-acting carbohydrates, such as a sugary drink or sugar cubes.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes usually develop over weeks or months. Some people with type 2 diabetes have few symptoms or even no symptoms at all. But the condition mustn’t be ignored, otherwise other health problems could develop.
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