If you have diabetes, your body is either unable to produce or effectively utilize insulin. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 24 million people in the United States struggle with diabetes. People over the age of 45 who are overweight or have a family member with this condition are at an increased risk of developing diabetes. Early diabetes symptoms can be subtle but should be reported to your doctor if they arise.
Constant Hunger
Diabetes is the result of chronically high sugar levels within your blood. If you have diabetes, your body is unable to metabolize this excess sugar into usable energy, causing your body to believe it is in need of nourishment. This can cause you to experience constant or increased sensations of hunger throughout the day.
Weight Loss
When your body can't convert excess blood sugar into energy, it begins to break down your fat and muscle cells to fuel your body. As a result, your body can begin to lose fat and muscle mass---leading to significant and unintended weight loss, explain health professionals at Family Doctor, an online medical resource.
Increased Thirst
If you have excessively high levels of sugar within your blood due to diabetes, your kidneys will begin filtering this waste out of your body in the form of urine. Continuously high sugar levels in the blood can cause you to excrete urine more frequently and in greater quantities than usual. Increased urine output can drain your body of fluids, which must be restored by increasing your fluid consumption. This can cause you to experience increased thirst as an early diabetes symptom.
Fatigue
If you have diabetes, your body is unable to effectively utilize the sugar within your blood, which means that your cells and tissues can't provide you with sufficient energy to support you in your daily activities. When this occurs, you can experience increased or abnormal tiredness or fatigue as an early diabetes symptom.
Dry Skin
Diabetes can cause your body to excrete abnormally high levels of fluid, which can dry out your skin. During the early stage of diabetes, you can notice that your skin appears dry or flaky or begins to itch more frequently than usual. If you have diabetes, you can also begin to experience unusual sensations of tingling or numbness within the skin of your hands or feet.
Blurred Vision
Excessive sugar levels within your blood can cause fluid to be pulled from your eyes as your body works to remove this waste as urine. If this occurs, you can experience blurred or double vision as an early symptom of diabetes.
