Six early symptoms of type 2 diabetes that you should know

While the world is suffering from one of the worst pandemics of all time, we should not forget diabetes, a mainstream lifestyle disease that has affected millions over the years. 

Diabetes is caused by a decreased cell response to insulin, a hormone that plays a central role in controlling blood sugar levels in the body, which leads to unbalanced blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes, occurs when your blood glucose is too high.

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According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly 422 million people worldwide had diabetes in 2014 and 1.6 million deaths were directly associated with diabetes in 2016.

Here are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes that you should watch out for:

Urge to urinate:

This is the most common symptom of diabetes. Our body reabsorbs glucose when it passes through the kidneys, but when diabetes increases the blood sugar levels, our kidneys face difficulties to reabsorb all the glucose.

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Thirst:

Due to an abnormal amount of blood sugar levels, the body ends up losing an unhealthy amount of water and get severely dehydrated. This results in increased thirst and if left untreated a person can even end up in the hospital.

Fungal infections:

Fungal infections are normal but people with diabetes are more prone to it. Red, itchy rashes, dry skin accompanied by blisters and scales appears on the folds and warm areas of the body such as in between toes, in the fold of elbows or the armpits, corners of mouth.

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Hunger:

Again, due to abnormality in blood sugar levels, the body makes up for it from the glucose absorption from food. This uses up energy, which makes type 2 diabetes patients hungry more frequently.

Delayed wound healing:

Delayed healing of injuries is another sign as high blood sugar levels can affect the blood flow and cause nerve damage that makes it hard for the body to heal wounds faster.

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Blurred vision:

Changing fluid levels in the body could make the lenses in our eyes swell up, which impacts our focus and vision in the long run.

(Disclaimer: Information mentioned in the above article is for general purpose only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult a doctor to know more about your health condition before making changes to your lifestyle.)