Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Signs of Diabetes - What to Look Out For

Diabetes is a disease which occurs when the body is unable to produce or use the provided insulin. Insulin is the hormone responsible for converting sugar in the form of energy. Most of the times diabetes goes undetected as the signs of diabetes are not obvious. Both diabetes type 1 and 2 have almost the same signs.
The only way to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes is early detection. Below are the most common initial signs of both types 1 and 2 diabetes:


Frequent urinating
This means urination becomes more frequent than needed because of too much glucose that is present in the blood. The kidney cannot filter glucose back to the blood if insulin is nonexistent or ineffective. The tendency is for the kidney to become overwhelmed and try to draw extra water out of the blood to dilute the glucose resulting in a full bladder that is always full and keeps you visiting the bathroom frequently.


Unquenchable Thirst
It feels like you are not getting enough water and you have the need to drink more than usual primarily because of your frequent urination. As the body is pulling extra water out of your blood and you are running to the bathroom every now and then, dehydration may set in so the need to drink more often is needed to replace the water that you are losing.


Unexplained weight loss
Loss of weight occurs partly because diabetes causes dehydration and partly because muscles break down due to the decrease of adipose tissue. The body of the diabetic person gets denied of the needed amount of calories which also results in an unexplained weight loss.
Weakness and fatigue


The main reason behind this fatigue is the imbalance of glucose in the blood. Insulin, a hormone used for the conversion of glucose into energy, controls the division of glucose in the body. If insulin is not present or if the cells don't react to it anymore, then the glucose stays outside the cells in the bloodstream where it can't be utilized to release energy in the body.


Tingling or numbness in your hands, legs and feet
This has something to do with blood circulation and occurs gradually over time as the glucose level in the blood increases. In time, this causes poor blood circulation and starts to affect small blood vessels and capillaries which are responsible for supplying blood to extremities and the nervous system of the body. Later on, poor blood circulation starts affecting the efficiency of the nervous system. This causes numbness in the hands and feet which is coined as "diabetic neuropathy."


Other signs that may occur are blurred vision, dry and itchy skin, frequent infections or cuts and bruises that take a long time to heal. If the above signs are noticed, schedule an appointment with your doctor immediately. Your physician will be able to tell and diagnose if you are diabetic or not.


Dave is a niche article writer for various websites for the past few years. His new website is about Quick Back Hair Removal also you can check out more about Best Back Hair Removal Tips here.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_Horvath

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