"Sugar diabetes" is a somewhat outdated term for a group of diseases that come under the umbrella term "diabetes mellitus" which literally means "sweet urine." As the term may suggest, diagnosing diabetes was once done by tasting patients' urine; if it was sweet, it meant the patient had diabetes. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is actually a group of diseases caused by either an inability to make a substance called insulin (Type 1 DM) or an inability to properly use insulin (Type 2 DM). The main symptoms of DM depend somewhat on which type a patient has.
Only In Type 1 DM
A person with type 1 diabetes may feel constantly hungry, but be losing weight anyway. This is due to the fact that a person with Type 1 DM does not make insulin, the substance required to take sugar from the blood and bring it into the body's cells to be turned into energy. As a result, water and fat stores are depleted, and weight loss occurs.
Nocturnal enuresis (nighttime bed-wetting) is a symptom that is related to the increased frequency of urination--it is generally seen in very young children, and may suggest the onset of type 1 DM.
More Common in Type 1 (Possible in Type 2)
Polyuria (excess thirst) is the medical term for increased urination and is a very common symptom of hyperglycemia (increased sugar in the blood). It occurs because the level of sugar in the blood becomes so high that excess water is pulled out of the body's cells and into the bloodstream. This extra water, in turn, causes a person to feel like the need to urinate more frequently. Feeling much more thirsty than usual is also due to the abnormally high levels of sugar in the blood.
Weakness and fatigue may occur because muscle is being broken down for energy, leaving a person feeling tired and weak. Additionally, because the overall volume of plasma--the liquid portion of blood--is decreased (more of the blood is being taken up by sugar)--a person may feel dizzy, weak, and tired.
Only in Type 2
The lack of symptoms can actually be symptomatic of this type of diabetes. While this is technically not a symptom, it is important to know that many people with type 2 DM may not feel any symptoms--because type 2 develops slowly over time and the symptoms seen in type 1 DM may not occur.
More Common in Type 2 (Possible in Type 1)
This is a symptom of chronic high blood sugar, and occurs because the lens of the eye, as well as the retina, are exposed to fluids with too much sugar, resulting in blurred vision.
Pruritus and vaginitis, or generalized itchiness (pruritus) and vaginal itching and inflammation (vaginitis), are seen more frequently in type 2 than in type 1 DM, and are also related to the high levels of glucose in the blood. They may be the first symptoms that women with type 2 DM notice.
Paresthesias is the abnormal feelings of tingling, burning, or "pins and needles." This may be seen in patients with type 1 or type 2 DM. These are generally temporary feelings of strangeness and often disappear when blood sugar levels come down to a normal range.
References
- "Cecil Essentials of Medicine"; Thomas E. Androni, M.D.; 2003
- "Greenspan's Basic and Clinical Endocrinology"; David Gardner and Dolores Shoback; 2007
- "CURRENT Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2010"; Stephen J. McPhee and Maxine Papadakis; 2010
- "Clinical Neurology"; Roger P. Simon, M.D., et. al.; 2009
