Diabetes Signs, Symptoms & Management Tips

Diabetes: Symptoms, Prevention & Management Guide

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that causes high blood sugar. Your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t effectively use the insulin it makes.

The hormone insulin moves sugar from the blood into your cells to be stored or used for energy. If this malfunctions, you may have diabetes.

Untreated high blood sugar from diabetes can damage your nerves, eyes, kidneys, and other organs. But educating yourself about diabetes and taking steps to prevent or manage it can help you protect your health.

Blood showing diabetes symptoms

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic medical condition characterized by elevated levels of glucose (sugar) in  the blood. This occurs either because the body is unable to produce enough insulin (a hormone that regulates blood sugar) or because the body’s cells do not respond effectively to insulin. Without enough insulin, glucose can’t get into the cells, so it builds up in the bloodstream, where it can cause damage to the body. There are several types of diabetes, with the two most common being Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes:

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Symptoms of diabetes include:
  • Increased thirst (polydipsia) and dry mouth.
  • Frequent urination.
  • Fatigue.
  • Blurred vision.
  • Unexplained weight loss.
  • Numbness or tingling in your hands or feet.
  • Slow-healing sores or cuts.
  • Frequent skin and/or vaginal yeast infections.

Types of diabetes

There are a few different types of diabetes:
  • Type 1: Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The immune system attacks and destroys cells in the pancreas, where insulin is made. It’s unclear what causes this attack, but in the past decade researchers have developed a 3-stage classification for the onset of this autoimmune condition, leading from pre-clinical lab diagnostic testing to when you may notice symptoms and begin treating T1D.
  • Type 2: Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body becomes resistant to insulin, and sugar builds up in your blood. It’s the most common type—about 90% to 95% of people living with diabetes have type 2.
  • Type 1.5: More commonly known as latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), this type occurs during adulthood and sets in gradually like type 2 diabetes. LADA is an autoimmune disease that is similar to T1D in nature and cannot be treated by eating or lifestyle changes, but can have a gradual onset like T2D.
  • Gestational: Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar during pregnancy. Insulin-blocking hormones produced by the placenta cause this type of diabetes.
A rare condition called diabetes insipidus is not related to diabetes mellitus, although it has a similar name. It’s a different condition in which your kidneys remove too much fluid from your body.

Each type of diabetes has unique symptoms, causes, and treatments.

What causes diabetes?

Too much glucose circulating in your bloodstream causes diabetes, regardless of the type. However, the reason why your blood glucose levels are high differs depending on the type of diabetes.

Causes of diabetes include:
  • Insulin resistance: Type 2 diabetes mainly results from insulin resistance. Insulin resistance happens when cells in your muscles, fat and liver don’t respond as they should to insulin. Several factors and conditions contribute to varying degrees of insulin resistance, including obesity, lack of physical activity, diet, hormonal imbalances, genetics and certain medications.
  • Autoimmune disease: Type 1 diabetes and LADA happen when your immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in your pancreas.
  • Hormonal imbalances: During pregnancy, the placenta releases hormones that cause insulin resistance. You may develop gestational diabetes if your pancreas can’t produce enough insulin to overcome the insulin resistance. Other hormone-related conditions like acromegaly and Cushing syndrome can also cause Type 2 diabetes.
  • Pancreatic damage: Physical damage to your pancreas-from a condition, surgery or injury-can impact its ability to make insulin, resulting in Type 3c diabetes.
  • Genetic mutations: Certain genetic mutations can cause MODY and neonatal diabetes.
Long-term use of certain medications can also lead to Type 2 diabetes, including HIV/AIDS medications and corticosteroids.

Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies

Risk factors

There are several factors that contribute to a person's chance of developing diabetes. These factors can also affect a person's risk of complications and how they manage their condition.

Overall, men are more likely to have diabetes than women. However, diabetes rates among men and women differ for certain socioeconomic factors, including:
  • income
  • education level
  • employment status
Socioeconomically disadvantaged populations are more likely to develop diabetes and are more susceptible to certain risk factors, such as:
  • obesity
  • cigarette smoking
  • high blood pressure

Prevention and reducing risks of diabetes

A healthy lifestyle can help to:
  • prevent or delay diabetes complications
  • lower the risk of developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes
Living a healthy lifestyle can also prevent other chronic conditions and improve your overall quality of life.

Health experts recognize that our ability to change our lifestyle and health habits is closely tied to several different factors. We can control some of these factors, but not others. Factors can include:
  • age
  • sex
  • culture
  • income
  • education
  • employment
  • social supports
  • where you live, work and play
There are many different ways to make healthy lifestyle changes:
  • Don't smoke
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Limit alcohol consumption
  • Get enough sleep and rest
  • Eat a variety of healthy foods
  • Be physically active every day
  • Manage high blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose
You should also get screened or tested for diabetes regularly and report any new signs and symptoms to your healthcare provider. It's also important to have regular check-ups to measure your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. In many cases the earlier a health condition is detected, the easier it is to treat.

What are the complications of diabetes?

Diabetes can lead to acute (sudden and severe) and long-term complications — mainly due to extreme or prolonged high blood sugar levels.

Acute diabetes complications

Acute diabetes complications that can be life-threatening include:
  • Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS): This complication mainly affects people with Type 2 diabetes. It happens when your blood sugar levels are very high (over 600 milligrams per deciliter or mg/dL) for a long period, leading to severe dehydration and confusion. It requires immediate medical treatment.
  • Diabetes-related ketoacidosis (DKA): This complication mainly affects people with Type 1 diabetes or undiagnosed T1D. It happens when your body doesn’t have enough insulin. If your body doesn’t have insulin, it can’t use glucose for energy, so it breaks down fat instead. This process eventually releases substances called ketones, which turn your blood acidic. This causes labored breathing, vomiting and loss of consciousness. DKA requires immediate medical treatment.
  • Severe low blood sugar (hypoglycemia): Hypoglycemia happens when your blood sugar level drops below the range that’s healthy for you. Severe hypoglycemia is very low blood sugar. It mainly affects people with diabetes who use insulin. Signs include blurred or double vision, clumsiness, disorientation and seizures. It requires treatment with emergency glucagon and/or medical intervention.

Long-term diabetes complications

Blood glucose levels that remain high for too long can damage your body’s tissues and organs. This is mainly due to damage to your blood vessels and nerves, which support your body’s tissues.

Cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) issues are the most common type of long-term diabetes complication. They include:
  • Coronary artery disease.
  • Heart attack.
  • Stroke.
  • Atherosclerosis.
Other diabetes complications include:
  • Nerve damage (neuropathy), which can cause numbness, tingling and/or pain.
  • Nephropathy, which can lead to kidney failure or the need for dialysis or transplant.
  • Retinopathy, which can lead to blindness.
  • Diabetes-related foot conditions.
  • Skin infections.
  • Amputations.
  • Sexual dysfunction due to nerve and blood vessel damage, such as erectile dysfunction or vaginal dryness.
  • Gastroparesis.
  • Hearing loss.
  • Oral health issues, such as gum (periodontal) disease.
Living with diabetes can also affect your mental health. People with diabetes are two to three times more likely to have depression than people without diabetes.

Effective Management & Lifestyle Tips

Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes and prevention is very important. It's especially important if you're at increased risk due to being overweight or you have a family history of the disease, or you have been diagnosed with prediabetes (also known as impaired fasting glucose). Changing your lifestyle could be a big step toward diabetes prevention. It's never too late to take small steps to prevent this chronic disease. Follow these tips:

1. Get more physical activity. Get outside and walk with family and friends. There are many benefits to regular physical activity. Exercise can help you to lose weight, lower your blood sugar, boost your sensitivity to insulin which helps to keep your blood sugar within a normal range. Research shows that aerobic exercise and resistance training can help control diabetes. The greatest benefit comes from both aerobic and stretching exercises.

2. Get plenty of dietary fiber. Fiber may help you to reduce your risk of diabetes by improving your blood sugar control. It will also lower your risk of heart disease and promote weight loss by helping you to feel full. In general, the average adult needs 25–35 grams of fiber daily. Drink plenty of water when consuming high fiber foods. High fiber foods include fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains and nuts.

3. Go for whole grains. Whole grains may reduce your risk of diabetes by helping to maintain your blood sugar levels. Try to make at least half your grains whole grains each day. Many foods made from whole grains come ready to eat, including various breads, rice and pasta products and cereals. Look for the word "whole" on the package and among the first few items in the ingredient list.

4. Lose extra weight. If you're overweight, every pound of body weight you lose can improve your health. Participants in one large study who lost around 7 percent of initial body weight and exercised regularly, reduced their risk of developing diabetes by almost 60 percent!

5. Skip fad diets and just make healthier food choices. Low-carb diets, the glycemic index diet or other fad diets may help you lose weight at first. But their effectiveness at preventing diabetes and their long-term effects aren't known. Instead, make variety and portion control part of your healthy-eating plan.

The American Diabetes Association recommends blood glucose screening if you are age 45 or older. An overweight adult of any age, with one or more additional risk factors for diabetes, such as a family history of diabetes, a personal history of prediabetes or an inactive lifestyle, should be screened every three years. Making a few simple changes now may help you avoid serious future health complications such as nerve, kidney and heart damage.

When to See a Doctor

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends routine screening with tests to diagnose type 2 diabetes for all adults age 35 and older. The ADA also recommends screening for the following groups:
  • People younger than 35 who carry excess weight and have one or more risk factors associated with diabetes.
  • Women who have had gestational diabetes.
  • People who have prediabetes.
  • Children who carry excess weight and who have a family history of type 2 diabetes or other risk factors.
Share your concerns about diabetes prevention with your healthcare professionals. They appreciate your efforts to prevent diabetes and may give you more suggestions based on your medical history or other factors.






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