The Symptoms of Diabetes
By Donovan Baldwin
They can be obvious or quite puzzling, these symptoms of diabetes.
 Even the most common indicators of diabetes may not be present in all cases. Some may
come and go. Confusing diagnosis is that similar symptoms may be produced by other conditions
unrelated to the disease. Nevertheless, there are a cluster of common
circumstances that tend to mark the presence of the disease.
One of the classic symptoms of diabetes is frequent urination without any rational explanation. Noticing this as a new life event can be notice that you may have diabetes. Another defining attribute of the disease is excessive glucose (sugar) levels in the blood.
With diabetes, the body either produces too little insulin todeal with it (Type 1 diabetes), or the insulin isn't used correctly (Type 2). This is often referred to as "insulin resistance".
Whichever situation, the body attempts to compensate for this insulin malfunction by eliminating the excess glucose using the urine. The kidneys then have to work at
higher than normal levels to filter out the excess sugar. When they cannot remove enough, the remainder is passed through when other fluids
are eliminated as waste products of normal metabolic processes.
One result of this, and also a common accompanying symptom of
diabetes, is the presence of an excessive thirst. The diabetic individual feels always thirsty, and no matter how much fluid is taken in it never seems
like enough. The excess drinking of liquids in an attempt to slake this thirst in turn prompts even more urination.
Yet another common and symptom of the possible existence of diabetes is continual fatigue.
In the diabetic, insulin isn't performing its role properly by aiding the cells to take in glucose from the bloodstream. As a
result, the diabetic may feel constantly tired. Glucose, after all, is the major source of energy for powering an enormous variety of the
body's functions from cell repair to major muscle movement.
But other body systems can also be affected by diabetes and possibly show up as part of the symptoms of diabetes.
Blurry vision, is one of those conditions which can be a symptom of diabetes, or it can result from any number of other conditions.
Our vision changes as we age, and this often just presbyopia, not diabetes. Presbyopia simply results from reduced elasticity of the
lenses as we age, leading to a lessened ability to focus.
But when the cause IS diabetes, it is a very different game indeed.
High blood sugar levels reduce fluid in the tissues, including those of the eye and in particular the lenses. That affects your ability to
focus. When the disease becomes more advanced it can cause new blood vessels to form in the retina. That again affects your vision. Though
in this circumstance, the result is more often seeing dark spots or flashing lights, or rings around room lights.
In some instances, cuts (particularly on the feet) may be slower to heal when a person has Type 2 diabetes. The reasons are not yet fully
understood, but it is one more indicator. At the same time, the immune system is affected, leading to a lowered ability to fight off infection.
Since so many of these symptoms can be (and are) produced by a number of other conditions, the best course of action if you suspect you have
diabetes is to seek a professional diagnosis. Simple blood tests can determine with a high degree of confidence whether or not you do in
fact have the disease. They're relatively painless and most are covered by ordinary health insurance.
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Donovan
Baldwin is a freelance SEO copywriter residing in the Fort Worth, Texas area,
and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a past member of
Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of
service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory
positions. However, his main pleasures have long been
writing, nature, health, and fitness. In the last few years, he has
been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on
subjects such as health, fitness, weight lifting, yoga, weight loss,
the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, and
life. His blog on senior
health and fitness may be found at http://fitness-after-40.ws.
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If you want to learn how to burn fat, a great book to read is Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto
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