KONTAN.CO.ID – Jakarta. High blood sugar or severe diabetes often leads to death. Therefore, before it becomes a severe level, recognize the characteristics of diabetes at an early stage to make it easier to cure.
High blood sugar or diabetes can occur without symptoms. In fact, many people with diabetes are not aware of what they are experiencing until serious complications occur.
Indeed, most people who have diabetes also have symptoms such as frequent urination and excessive thirst. However, these symptoms often go unnoticed. In fact, a mild increase in blood sugar can damage your nerves, kidneys, and retina. And the higher the blood sugar level, the worse the damage can be.
Endocrinologist Kevin Pantalone also said many people with diabetes are only diagnosed when they already have problems with the kidneys and retina. “That’s a sign that they have diabetes that has existed for a long time,” he added.
Characteristics of early stage diabetes
To anticipate, the following symptoms or characteristics of early-stage diabetes that are often not realized:
1. Frequent urination
The first characteristic of early-stage diabetes is frequent urination. Having to go to the bathroom more than usual, especially at night, is a sign that your blood sugar may be out of whack. Pantalone said one of his patients came for a diagnosis after a family member noticed that he frequently went to the bathroom every commercial break while they were watching TV.
2. Frequent urinary tract or fungal infections
The second characteristic of early stage diabetes is frequent urinary tract infections. When blood sugar is high and the kidneys can’t filter it well enough, the sugar ends up in the urine. The buildup of sugar in a warm and humid environment can lead to urinary tract infections and yeast infections, especially in women.
3. Weight loss drastically
The third characteristic of early-stage diabetes is drastic weight loss. If you have diabetes, your body cannot use glucose (sugar) effectively for energy. Instead, your body will start burning stored fat, and you may experience unexpected weight loss.
4. Impaired vision
The fourth characteristic of early-stage diabetes is visual disturbances. High sugar levels can distort the lens in your eyes, worsening your vision. The addition of minus in the eyes can sometimes be a sign of diabetes.
5. Changes in skin color
The fifth characteristic of early-stage diabetes is a change in skin color. One of the early signs of diabetes is a change in the color of the skin on the back of the neck. This condition is called acanthosis nigricans, where the skin color of the neck area turns dark. Usually, this happens because of resistance, which is a condition when insulin loses sensitivity so that the ability to regulate glucose is reduced.
Those are some of the characteristics of early-stage diabetes. If you experience the characteristics of these early stages of diabetes, contact your doctor immediately to get the right medication.
This article has been published on Kompas.com with the title “5 Early Symptoms of Diabetes that Are Rarely Realized“,
Author : Ariska Puspita Anggraini
Editor : Ariska Puspita Anggraini
–
