Is Your Health At Risk? Review The Diabetes Symptoms

Diabetes comes in many forms and affects a wide range of people. Children, men, and women, black or white, rich or poor—no one is completely immune to diabetes. This disease, which affects that body's ability to break down sugars, likely affects more than twenty million people in America alone; of those millions, it is estimated that over six million people do not even know they have the disease. There are some common diabetes symptoms, which are too often overlooked, ignored, or simply attributed to other causes.

One of the hallmark symptoms of diabetes is excessive thirst. This is the kind of thirst that just cannot be quenched. Different than being thirsty because of heat or a dry throat, this is a feeling that no matter how much you drink, it is never enough. Not surprisingly, then, another symptom is frequent urination. Since most people figure that they need to urinate so much because they have been drinking so much, it is not that hard to see why people often disregard these glaring diabetes symptoms.

Another diabetes symptom is excessive hunger. A constant gnawing in the stomach is a sure sign that something in the body is amiss, since any changes in appetite, when not accompanied by a rise in physical exertion, is cause for alarm. In fact, any change in the signals your body relays to you involving hunger and thirst that are not attributable to any other possible cause should be evaluated by a doctor. This particular sign of diabetes is particularly worrisome when coupled with unexplained weight loss. Weight that drops off without an increase in activity, and especially when coupled with the increased appetite, is a sign that something is wrong with the body.

Beyond those symptoms, diabetes symptoms can include a substantial increase in fatigue. A constant feeling of tiredness, no matter how much rest you get, is cause for concern. So, too, is irritability. Blood sugar levels that are spiraling out of control affect the brain in such a way as to affect the moods, so changes in irritation levels are not to be ignored. Another, blurry vision, is indicative of something being wrong with the body. Blood sugar levels are notorious for affecting the vision, so any changes to the vision need to be evaluated immediately, especially if the changes are sudden.

If you are still not certain whether or not you are exhibiting signs of diabetes, the American Diabetes Association offers a risk test on their web site that you can use as a tool to assess yourself. You will also find more information available from them as far as assessing your risks and taking care of your body is concerned. In any case, if you are exhibiting these diabetes symptoms, it is imperative that you visit your physician. He or she can perform blood tests that will reveal whether or not you are suffering from diabetes, or a condition known as pre-diabetes. With a simple test wherein you do not eat for a period of twelve hours or so and have your blood drawn (this is known as a fasting plasma glucose test), you can find out if your diabetes symptoms are telling you that you have the disease.