Diabetes is a major health problem that can lead to long term complications. Speedy recognition of the disease is imperative to ensure a positive quality of life for those who have this condition. With proper study of the symptoms of diabetes, people will be well equipped to take charge of their lives.
Short Term Symptoms -- Hyperglycemic
Hyperglycemia is an abnormally high blood sugar level. When the blood glucose level is too high, the kidneys try to compensate by eliminating it through urine, leading to excessive urine output, or polyuria. A higher glucose level would lead to more frequent urination.
Excessive thirst is also called polydipsia. If excess urination leads to enough of a water loss, the body's thirst mechanism will kick in.
The blood vessels in the eyes are especially sensitive to high glucose levels. If the glucose level gets high enough, the resulting decrease in blood flow to the eyes may cause blurry or impaired vision.
Excessive hunger, or polyphagia, may occur. Even though there may be an inordinate amount of glucose in the bloodstream, a diabetic's body has limited ability to make use of it. This will be as if there was too little glucose in the blood, and will trigger the hunger mechanism in the brain.
Acetone breath, a sweet, fruity odor, may be another symptom.
Tachypnea, or an abnormally high breathing rate, is a compensatory mechanism meant to return the acidity of the blood to a normal level. In addition to a high rate, the respiration will also be very deep. This is known as Kussmaul breathing.
Short Term Symptoms - Hypoglycemic
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, hypoglycemia is abnormally low blood sugar.
Sweating appears with acute hypoglycemia. The nerves that control the sweat glands can fire rapidly, causing excessive sweating, or diaphoresis.
Hunger sensations are the brain giving the signal to the rest of the body that food needs to be eaten in order to get the blood glucose up.
Cognitive impairment manifests as irritability and confusion. The brain is an energy hog. It needs a lot of glucose to do its job. When it does not have enough glucose, these effects appear fairly rapidly, warns the American Diabetes Association.
Muscle weakness is a sign that the muscles are reacting to a lack of fuel for operation.
An elevated heart rate, or tachycardia, means the body's metabolism is kicking into overdrive in an attempt to make more fuel readily available.
Seizures are associated with hypoglycemia. For the neurons in the brain to fire properly, they need enough glucose, without which they cannot operate efficiently.
Since the brain controls speech, if it is impaired in any way, speech can also be affected, with slurred words or making them seem garbled.
Long Term Symptoms
A sore that does not heal is symptomatic of diabetes. Excessive levels of blood glucose impair the circulation by damaging blood vessels. Proper wound healing requires adequate circulation to carry the proteins and blood components necessary for the task.
Infections are common with diabetes. Bacteria use the excess glucose as a growth medium.
Kidney failure is another complication of poor glucose control. Being that they filter toxins from the blood, the kidneys are highly vascular organs. With all the blood vessels they contain, the kidneys provide ample opportunities for the negative circulatory effects of diabetes to do damage. Diabetic patients who get to this point will usually require dialysis to survive.
Blindness, especially in people under 40 is a diabetic complication. The human body will try to compensate for impaired circulation in the eyes by creating blood vessels to work around the obstruction. The problem is these newer vessels are very fragile and can rupture easily. Additionally, high levels of glucose can cause changes in the shape of the lenses.
