Diabetes can be a silent disease that can go unnoticed for years, until you final show severe symptoms. Out of 3 people with type 2 diabetes 1 of them is not aware that they have it. A lot of us experience the early signs of diabetes and just completely shrug it off thinking that it is nothing. This is mostly because we don’t understand the disease or is not educated properly about it.
Early detection is important to get treatment that can prolong your life. If you are diagnosed 3 years later, you have a 19% risk of heart disease. The important thing about early detection is knowing what to look for. This is article is about taking control of the disease before it tries to control you. Below are the symptoms of diabetes in children and adults.
Diabetes Symptoms in Children and Adults
Diabetes is the disease where the blood sugar lever in the body is higher than the regular, value and this level is sustained through a period of time. The symptoms for adult and children are the same. Patients that suffer from type 1 diabetes usually acquire symptoms suddenly or within a short period of time. This condition is often diagnosed after the appearance of the symptoms. Type 2 diabetes on the other hand, has symptoms that progress gradually. This is why it is often overlooked and at times people don’t even experience any symptoms at all.
Common Symptoms of Diabetes
The following early signs of diabetes are the most common:
Increased Urination
This one of the most common early symptoms of diabetes in both children and adult. If you experience the frequent need to urinate then you may have Polyuria a symptom of high glucose levels. As a reference a person that drinks an average amount of water every day will urinate at an average of 4 to 7 times in 24 hours. If you’ve consumed a lot of water then frequent urination is normal. A common red flag for this symptom is the need to urinate in the middle of the night, even though urinating before going to sleep. So, why do you urinate often when your blood sugar level is high? This is due to the excess sugar in your blood that is causing your kidney to go into overdrive. The sugar that your kidney absorb must be removed through urination. Thus the cause for the constant need to urinate.
The Excessive Need to Drink
The need to drink an unusually large amount of liquid through the day and even at night is a huge red flag for diabetes. The normal water intake for an adult is about 8 to 10 glasses of water. Feeling thirsty after drinking water just a few minutes before is not a good sign. The more you drink water, the more you need to urinate and flush out sugar in your system. Hence giving you the excessive drinking and urinating cycle that most diabetics experience. The main reason why this happens is the frequent urination. You’ve been excreting fluid like crazy, causing your body to become dry and you parched.
The Constant Feeling Hunger
This is one of the main reasons why some long time diabetics experience sudden weight gain. A symptom of diabetes is the constant feeling of hunger even after having a meal. The cravings can vary from healthy to unhealthy food. This is due to the brain signaling the body to crave food, even though its full. This happens due to losing the ability to regulate blood sugar from diabetes. This causes the blood sugar level to fluctuate, causing the brain to go haywire when the levels plummet. This then causes the craving and starving sensation for more calories and sugary food.
Sudden Weight Loss
The unintentional weight loss is a sign of diabetes. You could lose 5 to 10 kilograms in a month. This is a symptom of type 1 diabetes, this is due to the shutdown of sugar metabolism. This happens due to the body’s inability to convert energy, causing the body to go into starvation. Leading to breakdown of protein in the muscles, hence the sudden weight loss.
Do you notice any of these symptoms in anyone you know or yourself? If you start to notice these early warning signs go to your nearest clinic and get your blood sugar levels checked. You can even do a non-invasive finger prick test that you can by in medical stores to help with your blood sugar maintenance. Find out as soon as possible to prevent any serious side effects of this disease and perform early prevention.
