Diabetes: Symptoms and Diagnosis

by Staff Editor

Diabetes is a tricky disease. Sometimes the symptoms are unmistakable. In other cases, a person can have diabetes for years and never show any signs of it.

Symptoms

Some of the classic symptoms of diabetes include:

Unusual thirst

Having to urinate frequently

Sudden or unexplained weight loss

Unusual hunger

Fatigue

Mood swings and irritability

Frequent skin, gum, or bladder infections

Blurred vision

Numbness or tingling in the extremities

Cuts or bruises that are slow to heal

The symptoms of diabetes normally go away completely as soon as you get your blood sugar under control.

DIAGNOSIS

Diagnosing diabetes is a very simple procedure. Diabetes means "elevated blood sugar," and your doctor diagnoses it with a blood sugar test. The "gold standard" is a test of your blood sugar level after an eight-hour fast. The easiest time to do it is in the morning before you have anything to eat or drink. Normal people have fasting blood sugar levels below 100 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter). A value between 100 and 125 mg/dL indicates that you have what is called "impaired fasting glucose," or pre-diabetes. A value of 126 mg/dL or higher indicates that you have diabetes. Your doctor may repeat the test just to make sure.

ToolBox

Save

Bookmark

Rate Article