DIABETES SYMPTOMS: DOCTOR SHARES 7 SYMPTOMS THAT CAN SAY IF YOU HAVE HIGH BLOOD SUGAR

Diabetes is a condition wherein your body is unable to process the glucose in the body which eventually causes increased blood sugar levels. The condition usually occurs when the pancreas makes little to no insulin. When you have high blood sugar levels for a prolonged period of time, it damages different parts of your body. High blood sugar can lead to heart disease, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic nephropathy among others. Therefore, it is important to manage your blood sugar levels. To manage the condition, it is necessary that you spot the symptoms of the disease and then seek treatment for the same.

Dr Khalid, an NHS GP, in a YouTube video shares symptoms of high blood sugar.

Unexplained weight loss

One of the first symptoms to look out for is unexplained weight loss or loss of muscle bulk. He said, “You might be surprised by this because most people when they think about type 2 diabetes, they think about it as a condition to do with being overweight or obese.”

He explains that prolonged high blood sugar levels makes your body insulin-resistant. “And because the sugar is high in your blood, but not actually inside your cells, you can’t use it for energy. Your body starts to break down fat and muscle to use for energy. This is why you may get unexplained weight loss,” he adds.

Peeing frequently

When you have diabetes, you feel the need to pee more frequently because your body has to get rid of that extra sugar from your blood.

Increases Thirst

When you pee more frequently, you are likely to feel more thirsty. Dr Khalid said, “If you’re peeing more and you’re more thirsty, then you definitely need to get your blood sugar levels checked to make sure you’re not diabetic.”

Blurred Vision

High blood sugar can also impact your vision. Prolonged high blood sugar levels can also give rise to diabetic retinopathy. Dr Khalid said, “Although this can take many, many years to develop, in the later stages, you could get blurred vision, you can get floaters, which are shapes that go across your vision, pains in your eye, redness in the eye, difficulty seeing in the dark and also at the very, very late stages, you can get sudden visual loss.”

Tired

Persistently high blood sugar levels lead to insulin resistance, preventing cells from efficiently absorbing glucose for energy production, resulting in fatigue and reduced energy.

Slow healing

Keep a check on delayed healing of sores or injuries. Various factors contribute, with increased sugar levels which affect blood vessels and potentially leads to prolonged healing. Dr Khalid said, “This could lead to blood flow issues and circulation issues. Wounds need good blood flow, oxygen, [and] nutrients to heal quickly. So, if you have poor circulation, it’s going to take longer to heal.”

Itchy areas

Dr Khalid said when you have high sugar levels, you’re more prone to fungal infections like thrush. They often grow in moist, damp areas. They are also more common in diabetics because high sugar levels create an overgrowth of them. He adds, “In addition to this, high sugar levels over time could also weaken our immune system. This means that diabetic patients who are more prone to infections are less likely to fight them off due to a compromise in their immune system and poor circulation.”

2024-01-31T18:42:19Z dg43tfdfdgfd