10 Major Symptoms of Diabetes

Diabetes; which is consequent of excess sugar (glucose) in the blood, has killed a lot of people and it is still killing people even as you are reading this article. Though glucose is an indispensable compound required by man for various activities; since the body derives energy from glucose, yet excess of it is undesirable. According to World Health Organization report released in 2012, 10% of the global population is diabetic while according to American Diabetes Association, 25.8 million people are diabetic and in fact 215,000 people under age 20 are diabetic in America. Since many people are fond of taking health for granted it is important we talk about the major symptoms of diabetes so we can deal with it appropriately. However, too low amount of glucose in the body is also undesirable.

But how do we get sugar into our system without taking sugar literally?

·         Glucose in our Foods:    When we eat food, a good part of it is converted to glucose which is the energy needed by the body for its activities. The glucose is carried in the blood stream to the individual cells of the body where it is used as energy for various cellular activities.

·         Insulin: Hormones are chemical substances required in the body for the control of various activities. Insulin is an example of such chemical substance. Insulin is produced in the pancreas and it is for the regulation of glucose in the body. It is this insulin that helps cells to absorb glucose and also converts excess glucose to glycogen which is stored in the liver and muscle cells. The stored glycogen is converted into glucose for metabolic activities whenever there is low glucose in the body. For example during fasting or hunger.

·         Diabetes: Diabetes results when the amount of glucose in the blood cannot be controlled leading to excess of it (glucose) in the body. Three (3) things can cause this:

o   Lack of Insulin.

o   Inadequate Insulin.

o   Defective Insulin that cannot be used by the body.

·         Symptoms of Diabetes:  I will enumerate the three (4) major symptoms of Diabetes out of the series of symptoms. These are:

o   Increased Thirst.

o   Increased frequency of passing urine.

o   Increased Hunger.

o   Skin Infection.

The first two symptoms (increased thirst and frequent urination) are related. The kidneys filtered about 1,500 litres of blood per day. They excrete some water and waste products as urine and absorb most of the filtered blood including glucose. If the blood has more glucose than what the kidneys can reabsorb, it (glucose) passes out with the urine. As the glucose passes out of the body, it takes a lot of water along with it in order to flow easily out of the body. Increased water in the urine increases the frequency of passing urine, which in turn results in increased thirst to compensate for the excess loss of water from the body through urination.

 When there is no adequate insulin, the cells in the body do not get energy. Consequently, they send ‘hunger’ message to the brain. The brain responds to this message by giving us a feeling of excessive hunger. Despite eating more, the glucose derived from the food cannot be used for energy as it passes out in urine. Lack of energy in the cells results in general weakness and tiredness. Also, in the absence of insulin, the cells cannot derive any energy. Energy is therefore derived from the fats and muscles, making you to lose weight even if you eat enough to satisfy your hunger.

Excess blood sugar suppresses the body’s natural defense mechanism. This is why cuts and wounds heal very slowly if there is high blood sugar. Also, sugar is very good for bacteria to grow. Thus skin infections are more common in diabetes.

Other symptoms are:

• Unexplained weight loss as explained above.
•  Blurry vision that changes from day to day.
•  Feeling tired and weak most of the times as explained above. 
•  Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet.
• Dry or Itchy skin.
• Frequent or recurring skin, gum or bladder infections as explained above.

Most diabetic complications are consequent of long duration of uncontrolled disease, it is therefore important for the disease to be diagnosed early. This means that precious lives lost to diabetes could have been saved if the disease was diagnosed early and consequently controlled or managed well. It is therefore imperative for you check critically to know if any of these symptoms of diabetes is noticeable in you or any of your relatives. If yes, quickly call the attention of your doctor.

References:

• Health Solutions: Diabetes, 2008.
• Your Health Guide: Speaking of Diabetes & Diet, 2010.
• World Health Organization, 2012 Report.
• American Diabetes Association