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Most early symptoms are due to higher-than-normal glucose levels in your blood. While symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are the same, there’s a difference in how they appear.
 
In type 1 diabetes, symptoms show up quickly, in just a few days or weeks, especially in children.
 
Type 2 diabetes symptoms may be mild and develop more slowly, especially early on in the disease. It’s possible to go for years without realizing you have the condition.

Early Signs of Diabetes in Both Types

Both types of diabetes have some of the same telltale warning signs.
 
*Increased hunger
 
Your body converts the food you eat into glucose, which your cells use for energy. But your cells need insulin to take in glucose. If your body doesn’t make enough or any insulin, or if your cells resist the insulin your body makes, the glucose can’t get into them and you have no energy. This can make you hungrier than usual.
 
*Fatigue and tiredness
 
A lack of insulin and glucose can also make you more tired than usual.
 
*Peeing more often
 
The average person usually has to pee about four to seven times in 24 hours, but people with diabetes may go a lot more. Why? Normally, your body reabsorbs glucose as it passes through your kidneys. But when diabetes pushes your blood sugar up, your kidneys may not be able to bring it all back in. This causes the body to make more urine, and that takes fluids. The result: You’ll have to go more often. You might pee out more, too.
 
*Frequent thirst
 
Because you’re peeing so much, you can get very thirsty.
 
*Dry mouth
 
Because your body is using fluids to make pee, there’s less moisture for other things. You could get dehydrated, and your mouth may feel dry.
 
*Itchy and dry skin
 
Your skin could also feel dry, which may start to itch as well.
 
*Blurred vision
 
Changing fluid levels in your body could cause the lenses in your eyes to swell. They would then change shape and be unable to focus.
 
*Unintentional weight loss
 
If your body can’t get energy from your food, it will start burning muscle and fat for energy instead. You may lose weight even though you haven’t changed how you eat.

Early Signs of Diabetes Type 1

Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children or young adults, but people of any age can get it.
 
Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes typically start mild and get progressively worse or more intense, which could happen over several days, weeks or months. This is because your pancreas makes less and less insulin.
 
Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes include:
 

 

*Losing weight

 
Sudden weight loss, especially when you’re not trying to lose weight, is often an indication that something isn’t quite right. It could be nothing, but it could be an early sign of diabetes.
 

*Nausea and vomiting and Abdominal pain

 
Stomach pain could be a sign of undiagnosed diabetic type 1 or it could be a symptom of high blood sugars or even a dangerous diabetic ketoacidosis emergency. Diabetic ketoacidosis is a serious complication of diabetes, which develops when the body can’t produce enough insulin Without enough insulin, the body begins to break down fat as fuel. This causes a buildup of acids in the bloodstream called ketones. If it’s left untreated, the buildup can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis.
 
Other symptoms:

_Vaginal yeast infections, in females before puberty.
_Fruity-smelling breath.
_Rapid breathing.
_Confusion.
_Drowsiness.
_Loss of consciousness.

Early Signs of Diabetes Type 2

The onset of type 2 diabetes can be gradual, and symptoms can be mild during the early stages. As a result, many people may not realize that they have this condition.
 
Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes include:
 

*Tingling, numbness, or pain in the hands or feet

 
High blood sugar levels can affect blood circulation and damage the nerves. In people with type 2 diabetes, this can lead to pain or a sensation of tingling or numbness in the hands and feet.
 
This condition is known as neuropathy. It can worsen over time and lead to more serious complications if a person does not get treatment for their diabetes.
 

*Slow healing of cuts and wounds

 
High sugar levels in the blood can damage the body’s nerves and blood vessels, which can impair blood circulation. As a result, even small cuts and wounds may take weeks or months to heal. Slow wound healing also increases the risk of infection.

Early Signs of Diabetes in Women vs. Men

There’s no major difference in early diabetes signs between men and women, but there may be a few contrasts. Women with the condition may have vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections more often, while men with untreated diabetes tend to lose muscle mass.

When to Call Your Doctor

If you’re older than 45 or have other risks for diabetes, it’s important to get tested. When you spot the condition early, you can avoid nerve damage, heart trouble, and other complications.
 
As a general rule, call your doctor if you:
 
-Feel sick to your stomach, weak, and very thirsty
-Are peeing a lot
-Have a bad belly ache
-Are breathing more deeply and faster than normal
-Have sweet breath that smells like nail polish remover (a sign of very high ketones).
Sources and references
 
https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/understanding-diabetes-symptoms
https://www.osfhealthcare.org/blog/dont-ignore-the-signs-of-diabetes/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323185#faq
https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/type-2-diabetes-symptoms
https://www.healthline.com/health/diabetes/type-1-diabetes-stomach-pain#takeaway
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-ketoacidosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20371551
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21500-type-1-diabetes
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