Do you recognize the symptoms of diabetes?

About a million people in the Netherlands suffer from diabetes. But not everyone knows this about themselves. Complaints are often innocent and it can take years before it is clear that it is diabetes. It is important to find out in time, because not doing anything about it can be harmful to your health! Sometimes damage to tissues and organs has already occurred before the diagnosis has been made.

First of all, what is diabetes? Diabetes occurs when too much sugar (glucose) remains in the blood. Glucose is the fuel for the body. Insulin regulates the blood sugar. This hormone, which is produced in the pancreas, ensures that glucose from the blood is absorbed by cells. It is then burned or stored. Due to a deficiency of insulin, too much glucose remains in the blood.

In type 1 diabetes, the immune system accidentally destroys the cells that produce insulin. It's some kind of error in the immune system. Patients with this type of diabetes should measure glucose daily with a glucose meter and will also inject insulin themselves with one pen needle. This form of diabetes is often diagnosed at a young age, because the symptoms are clear.

In type 2 diabetes, patients have too little insulin in the body and the body no longer responds properly to insulin. Nine out of ten people with diabetes have type 2. This form of diabetes is often diagnosed at a later age and can be the result of an unhealthy lifestyle. Symptoms are often less pronounced.

Naturally, you cannot see for yourself whether the body is no longer able to produce the hormone insulin. Sometimes people suffer from diabetes for years without noticing it, because the symptoms are not always clear. This is more the case with type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is often recognized quickly (at a young age). This is because people lose a lot of weight in a short time and are more likely to see a doctor due to the severity of feeling ill. Both types of diabetes also have similar symptoms.

Urination and thirsty feeling

Let's get back to what diabetes is. Too much glucose remains in the blood and the cells receive too little glucose to burn or store. The body still wants to get rid of the excess sugar. As a result, you will urinate more. A lot of fluid is needed to remove glucose through urine. An additional consequence is that you may feel dry in your mouth and also feel the need to drink more. This is because the body is trying to maintain fluid levels.

Tired and nauseous

Due to a lack of sufficient insulin, glucose from the blood is not absorbed by the cells, resulting in less energy being burned by the body. As a result, you will feel weak and tired during the day. Nausea may also occur. However, this does not mean that if you repeatedly feel tired, this automatically means that you have diabetes. There could be several causes for this. You should keep a close eye on it if you suffer from multiple symptoms that may indicate diabetes.

Lose weight

Because the body can no longer use glucose as fuel, it will start to burn fat and therefore you will lose a lot of weight in a short time. An additional consequence is that the body is no longer able to quickly get rid of the waste products released when burning fat. You will notice this by your breath smelling like acetone. You know, the smell of nail polish remover. Losing weight as a symptom mainly occurs in people with type 1 diabetes. It sometimes occurs in type 2 diabetes, but in many cases the body still produces some insulin, so that energy is still obtained from blood glucose instead of only from fat.

Other symptoms of diabetes

In 9 out of 10 cases there is type 2 diabetes. This form has a dormant course and complaints cannot always be clearly linked to diabetes. Below you will find several symptoms that may indicate: diabetes.

• Wounds heal more slowly
• More often suffer from infections and inflammations
• Reduced potency
• More hair loss than normal
• Poor or blurred vision
• Tingling hands and feet
• Itching of the genitals

It is estimated that about a third of people with type 2 diabetes do not know this. This is because the above symptoms may have a completely different cause. When multiple symptoms are shown by the body, there is still no diabetes. Nevertheless, it is wise that you consult your doctor in a timely manner if you have any doubts. As mentioned earlier, organs and tissues can suffer damage as a result of not addressing diabetes.