Diabetes symptoms vary for each type. Symptoms associated with type 1 usually develop over a short period of time and include increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, and blurred vision. Symptoms associated with type 2 develop gradually and are not as noticeable. Typical type 2 diabetes symptoms include frequent infections, slow-healing wounds, and frequent urination. Often, women with gestational diabetes experience no symptoms.
Type 1 diabetes symptoms usually develop over a short period of time. Unfortunately, most symptoms of
diabetes do not begin until almost all insulin-producing cells are destroyed. By the time a person is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, damage to these cells is nearly complete.
Type 1 diabetes symptoms include:
- Increased thirst and urination
- Constant hunger
- Weight loss
- Blurred vision
- Excessive tiredness.
If not properly diagnosed and treated with insulin, an individual with type 1 diabetes symptoms can lapse into a diabetic coma, known as diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. Diabetic ketoacidosis can be life threatening.
Often, children will experience vomiting, a sign of DKA, and mistakenly be diagnosed as having gastroenteritis. New-onset diabetes can be differentiated from a GI (gastrointestinal) infection by the frequent urination that accompanies continued vomiting; a GI "bug" would normally result in decreased urination due to dehydration.
- Blurred vision
- Frequent infections
- Slow-healing wounds
- Frequent urination (especially at night)
- Feeling ill or very tired
- Being very thirsty
- Weight loss (when you are not trying to lose weight).
A person may experience one or more of these diabetes symptoms before being diagnosed with diabetes. Or, he or she may have had no diabetes symptoms at all. A blood test to check your glucose levels will determine if you have
pre-diabetes or diabetes.
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