You can determine diabetes by paying attention to the visible symptoms. Health condition worsens with this endocrine disease. At first, many patients do not even pay attention to the first symptoms of diabetes mellitus, although with type I pathology they reduce the quality of human life within a few days. The later the disease is detected, the more difficult it is to achieve its compensation. Remember the symptoms of diabetes, this will allow you to consult a doctor in time if it happens.
Features of the disease
Diabetes mellitus is a serious endocrine pathology in which there is an absolute or relative deficiency of insulin. In the first case, it is not produced by pancreatic cells in the required amount, and in the second case, it disrupts the process of interaction of this hormone with target cells.
Insulin is needed for the absorption of glucose entering the body by the tissues. If the hormone does not perform its functions, then sugar circulates in the blood for a long time. As a result, tissues and organs do not receive the necessary energy.
It is manifested by the development of pathological persistent hyperglycemia. Sugar concentration is always higher than normal. In this disease, all types of metabolism are disturbed. Problems arise from carbohydrate, fat, water-salt, protein and mineral metabolism.
Classification
Endocrinologists distinguish the following types of diabetes:
- insulin-dependent (type I);
- non-insulin dependent (type II);
- pregnancy.
Type I diabetes is insulin dependent. This form of the disease is mainly found in children and young people. In type I pathology, the main symptoms are pronounced. In this form of the disease, the patient's body does not produce insulin, so patients need to inject this hormone daily.
In form II, the first symptoms are not immediately visible, they are mild. A person may not suspect that he has health problems for several years after the onset of the disease. Insulin is produced in the body, but the target cells are sensitive to it.
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. After childbirth, the condition normalizes, but a woman should be careful and follow a diet. Patients with this form are at risk of developing type 2 disease.
The first signs of diabetes
All symptoms of this endocrine pathology are divided into major and minor. Their appearance is characteristic of both forms of the disease. But in insulin-dependent people, the main symptoms predominate. They are pronounced during the period when more than 20% of the cells responsible for insulin production do not remain in the pancreas.
Key features include:
- polyuria - increased urine output, increased urine volume;
- polydipsia - the appearance of obsessive thirst that cannot be suppressed, the patient can drink more than 5 liters of water per day;
- polyphagia - increased hunger, no feeling of satiety after eating;
- weight loss - with the development of insulin dependence, people lose weight quickly.
In the first form of the disease, patients can even name the date when they felt bad for the first time.
But the main symptoms also occur in type II of the disease. Their intensity gradually increases. Therefore, often the patient cannot say that he felt changes in well-being for the first time. Patients who are not dependent on insulin feel that minor symptoms occur earlier. However, many of them can be confused with other diseases, so people do not immediately consult an endocrinologist.
Secondary symptoms include:
- dry mouth;
- itching of the skin and mucous membranes;
- muscle weakness, increased fatigue;
- skin lesions that are difficult to treat;
- visual disturbances;
- persistent headaches;
- metallic taste in the mouth;
- numbness of limbs.
However, primary and secondary symptoms develop in all forms of pathology. It is possible to understand what type the patient is suffering from without conducting a thorough examination on specific grounds. However, to clarify the diagnosis, it is mandatory to choose treatment diagnostics.
Symptoms of type 1
People whose cells responsible for insulin production are destroyed feel constant hunger. With an increase in the amount of absorbed food, their weight may decrease. Seeing such changes, it is necessary to give blood for sugar immediately.
Other symptoms of insulin dependence include:
- increased nervous excitability;
- unexplained vomiting, nausea;
- the smell of acetone when breathing;
- pain in the heart region;
- sleep disorder;
- severe headaches.
Even the appearance of 1 symptom should not be ignored. You can understand that there are problems by passing the analysis to determine the level of sugar in the blood. If you do not start insulin therapy when the first symptoms appear, the patient's condition will rapidly deteriorate, he may fall into a diabetic coma.
Symptoms type 2
Specific changes that can be suspected for the development of the non-insulin-dependent form of the disease include:
- pain in limbs;
- cramps in the muscles of the legs, arms;
- to gain weight;
- deterioration of libido, potential problems;
- decreased pain sensitivity;
- weakening of the immune system;
- the appearance of xanthomas on the body - yellow formations caused by a violation of fat metabolism;
- increased facial hair growth by reducing their number on the legs.
However, these manifestations in patients are often mild, so people do not pay any attention to them. Many problems are discovered accidentally during a routine examination.
Occurrence characteristics
There are no significant differences in the development of the disease in men and women. It starts the same way in both sexes. They can differ only in minor symptoms.
The severity of pathological symptoms and the rate of development of the disease directly depend on the age of the person. Type I diabetes is diagnosed in children and adolescents. Type II disease develops in people over 40 years old.
Non-insulin-dependent pathologies are more often found in patients:
- lead an inactive lifestyle;
- suffers from excess weight;
- consume large amounts of simple carbohydrates;
- experiences constant psycho-emotional stress.
You can distinguish the types of the disease according to the symptoms.
In children
Insulin-dependent form of diabetes develops in young people. This diagnosis is given to patients under 30 years of age. If a child or young person urinates frequently, the amount of fluid they drink has increased significantly, a doctor's consultation is necessary.
The probability of developing the disease is higher in those children:
- there is a genetic predisposition to develop diabetes;
- Born with a weight of 4. 5 kg;
- suffers from metabolic disorders (obesity, hypothyroidism);
- suffered a viral infection, as a result of which pancreatic cells can be damaged (rubella, measles, parotitis, etc. ).
In children, adolescents, with a mild form, symptoms do not always occur, they can be almost invisible. Signs appear only as the disease progresses.
In men
Adult patients have a risk of developing type 2 pathology. Men are prone to diabetes, and when gaining excess weight, the volume of the abdomen increases first. With visceral obesity, the pressure on the internal organs increases, the work of the pancreas is disturbed.
Alarming symptoms are the weakening of sexual desire and impotence. A characteristic symptom can be inflammation of the foreskin - this occurs due to increased urination. The development of this condition contributes to the active reproduction of pathogenic bacteria.
Among women
One of the symptoms of diabetes is itching of the mucous membranes. More often women face its occurrence - there are unpleasant sensations in the genital area. Most of them consult a gynecologist with suspicion of sexually transmitted infections. According to the results of the tests, if there are no sexually transmitted diseases, if there are no problems with the microflora, the doctor may recommend checking the sugar level.
Diagnostics
If there are signs of endocrine disorders, it is necessary to undergo an examination. Diabetes can be detected by tests that determine the following:
- blood glucose concentration on an empty stomach;
- glycated hemoglobin - shows the average sugar level of the patient in the last 2-3 months;
- glucose tolerance test - an analysis carried out on an empty stomach and repeated after taking glucose.
The doctor can recommend donating blood at any time without prior preparation. This is necessary when symptoms are characteristic of diabetes.
Which doctor should be consulted?
Patients who develop major, minor or specific symptoms of diabetes should consult an endocrinologist. But a therapist can make a preliminary diagnosis - he will give directions for the necessary tests.
Based on the results of the examination, the endocrinologist can immediately make recommendations regarding nutrition, lifestyle changes and drug treatment. With the first type of disease, insulin injections are indispensable. Patients with type II diabetes are prescribed diet therapy, drugs are selected, under the influence of which the target cells begin to absorb insulin and glucose more actively.