Symptoms of type 2 diabetes

Diabetes is a medical condition in which sugar, or glucose, levels build up in your bloodstream. There’s not enough insulin to move the sugar into your cells, which are where the sugar is used for energy. This causes your body to rely on alternative energy sources in your tissues, muscles, and organs.

This is a chain reaction that can cause a variety of symptoms. Type 2 diabetes can develop slowly. The symptoms may be mild and easy to dismiss at first.

The early symptoms may include:

• constant hunger
• a lack of energy
• fatigue
• weight loss
• excessive thirst
• frequent urination
• dry mouth
• itchy skin
• blurry vision

As the disease progresses, the symptoms become more severe and potentially dangerous.

If your blood sugar levels have been high for a long time, the symptoms can include:

• yeast infections
• slow-healing cuts or sores
• dark patches on your skin
• foot pain
• feelings of numbness in your extremities, or neuropathy

If you have two or more of these symptoms, you should see your doctor. Without treatment, diabetes can become life-threatening.

Diabetes has a powerful effect on your heart. Women with diabetes are twice as likely to have another heart attack after the first one. They’re at quadruple the risk of heart failure when compared to women without diabetes. Diabetes can also lead to complications during pregnancy.

They may recommend that you be tested for diabetes, which is performed with a basic blood draw. Routine diabetes screening normally starts at age 45.

However, it might start earlier if you are:

• overweight
• sedentary
• affected by high blood pressure, now or when you were pregnant
• from a family with a history of type 2 diabetes
• from an ethnic background that has a higher risk of type 2 diabetes
• at higher risk due to high blood pressure, low good cholesterol levels, or high triglyceride levels