Signs of diabetes

The onset of diabetes typically includes frequent urination, frequent thirst and frequent hunger.

By

Steve Pollak

Mon, Nov 22 2010 at 4:47 PM

Related Topics:

Healthy Living, Diabetes

Photo: iStockphoto

The rate at which diabetes seems to be affecting more and more Americans has many people wondering about the signs of diabetes.

Only a doctor can properly diagnose this disease but, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some of the warning signs of diabetes include the following (patients may exhibit one or more of these):

Frequent urination
Excessive thirst
Unexplained weight loss
Extreme hunger
Sudden vision changes
Tingling or numbness in hands or feet
Feeling very tired much of the time
Very dry skin
Sores that are slow to heal
More infections than usual

If you are concerned about some of those symptoms, you can visit a medical office and to get a lab test to find out if you are diabetic.

The good news is that you can do a lot to try and prevent diabetes before it sets in.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 24 million people age 20 or older already have diabetes. Another 57 million are said to have pre-diabetes, a condition in which blood sugar levels are elevated but not to the point where diabetes sets in.

If you exhibit any of the signs above and you want to prevent diabetes, there are several things you can do.

For Type 1 diabetes, you will most likely need to manage it with insulin injections.

The more prevalent form of diabetes, Type 2, can be affected by diet and exercise.

Losing weight, cutting fat and calories from one’s diet and exercising 30 minutes a day five days a week have all been shown to help prevent or delay diabetes.

More resources for signs of diabetes:

• Basics of Diabetes (via CDC.gov)

• Diabetes Overview (via NIH.gov)