Fitness and Freebies
How would I know if I have diabetes?
Health Tip
With the growing "epidemic" of diabetes, I get asked this all the time. I hope this helps some - and do share, because knowledge truly is power!
As many as one-half of persons with type 2 diabetes are unaware that they have the disease. For this reason, it is particularly important to pay attention to the signs and symptoms of diabetes and its risk factors.
Common signs of either type 1 or type 2 diabetes are:
- being very thirsty
- urinating often
- feeling very hungry or tired
- losing or gaining weight without trying
- having sores that heal slowly
- having dry, itchy skin
- having blurry eyesight
- losing the feeling in your feet or having tingling in your feet
Symptoms of type 1 diabetes often develop over a short period of time. In type 2 diabetes, symptoms develop more slowly, and some persons never have any symptoms of the disease. If you are regularly having any of these signs and symptoms, you should tell your doctor.
Surprising Warning Signs Could Signal Diabetes
A new report explains why people should be aware of the "non-standard" symptoms of diabetes: including, change in vision and gum disease. While many people assume they will know if they develop diabetes, experts say that the list of warning signs is long and not all the symptoms are well-known. Among other things, the disease can cause changes in vision - for better or for worse - and contribute to everything from gum disease to weight loss to darkening of the skin around the eyes. In fact, symptoms can last for months before patients bother to seek attention, experts say. By that point, the damage can be hard to reverse.