Excessive thirst and increased urination are common signs and symptoms of diabetes. The signs and symptoms of type 1 diabetes can appear quite suddenly, especially in children. They may include increased thirst, frequent urination, and enuresis in children who did not previously get wet in bed. Extreme hunger, involuntary weight loss, fatigue and weakness, blurred vision, irritability, and other mood changes.
If you or your child has any of these symptoms, you should talk to your doctor. According to the CDC, more than 9% of Americans are living with diabetes. This disease is increasingly common, and 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes each year. Diabetes is a disease that occurs when the level of blood sugar (blood glucose) is too high and may be due to insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes) or an inability to produce insulin (type 1 diabetes).
Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed during childhood. In contrast, type 2 diabetes can develop at any age, but is more common in older populations. Prediabetes occurs when the blood sugar level is identified as higher than normal, but not high enough to be type 2 diabetes. Changes can be made to decrease the chance that the disease will progress to type 2 diabetes.
When your blood sugar level is high, your kidneys expel excess sugar from your blood, causing you to urinate more often. One of the first warning signs of diabetes is frequent urination, which is urgent enough to wake you up to go to the bathroom while you sleep. While your kidneys are working overtime and you urinate more frequently, valuable fluids will be extracted from your tissues. Frequent urination will make you constantly feel thirsty.
When your blood sugar level is high, your body works hard to get rid of excess sugar. This process not only affects the body, but it also alters how the body uses glucose for energy. An excessively high blood sugar level, or hyperglycemia, has fatiguing effects, among other symptoms. In addition, dehydration that accompanies more frequent urination is a common cause of fatigue in diabetics.
With the release of excess glucose, you lose your greatest source of energy and, when your body cannot use glucose for energy, it starts to burn fat and muscle, leading to weight loss. Unexplained weight loss is considered significant at 10 pounds or 5% of total body weight. Like damaged eye tissue that causes blurred vision, damaged blood vessels weaken blood circulation. Because of this, it is more difficult for blood to reach the affected area, and minor cuts or wounds may take weeks or months to heal.
This slow healing makes unhealed cuts and wounds prone to infection, increasing the risk of amputation. The American Diabetes Association has a risk test that can help you determine if you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This sugar, or glucose, is the main source of energy for brain cells, muscle cells and other tissues. Glucose is the body's main source of energy, and the pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which converts glucose from the food you eat into energy that your body uses.
A significant advance in treatment compared to recent years has been the development and availability of continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pumps that automatically adjust insulin and work with the continuous glucose monitor. It could mean taking insulin, counting carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and checking glucose frequently, eating healthy foods and exercising regularly to maintain a healthy weight. .
