Diabetes can be easily confirmed, you just need to perform tests prescribed by a doctor - blood sugar level and oral glucose load test. But how do you know if such research is necessary? Read on to see what symptoms may suggest you have diabetes, but you don't know it yet.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is an insidious disease: its first symptoms are difficult to associate with this disease. However, it is worth knowing them, because - according to statistics - in Poland 1 in 4 people over 60 years of age have diagnosed diabetes. Data at the disposal of the Ministry of He alth indicate thatin Poland in 2022 2.9 adult Poles suffered from diabetes, i.e. every 11th citizen -these are only confirmed cases.
A large percentage of people also have pre-diabetes (i.e. glucose level 100-125 mg / dl in a fasting blood test) or do not know that they have diabetes - because it is not tested. Experts estimate that even two million people in Poland are currently unaware that they have diabetes.
I predict thatin Poland over 10% of the population will have diabetes by 2030.That is why many doctors, as part of preventive examinations, also order their patients to measure their blood sugar levels, and in case of He also raises doubts about the test result on the oral glucose load test.
You can also suspect that you have diabetes by observing certain symptoms that are not apparently associated with this disease, but are often the result of disorders in glucose management. It is worth knowing them.
Symptoms that may indicate diabetes
- Itchy skin - especially itching in the genital area.
- Tinea tendencies of the skin of the feet.
- Hair loss - especially around the top of the head.
- Frequent mood swings - difficult to explain with stress or depression.
- Physical fatigue.
- Recurrent vaginal infections.
- Erectile dysfunction.
- Conjunctival bloodshot and visual disturbances - related to microdamage of capillaries in the retina of the eye.
- Obesity and the problem of losing excess kilos.
- Badly healing wounds.
- Gum problems - thrush, yeast infections.
- The smell of acetone from the mouth.
- Burning of the tongue or mouth, taste disturbance.
- Minorcracks on the tongue.
- Hard-to-quench thirst.
- Frequent urination at night.
If you experience such symptoms, it is not worth delaying the visit to the doctor. It may not be diabetes that is responsible for them, but the sooner you learn about it, the better, as untreated diabetes causes serious complications.