Diabetes is a disease defined by an elevated glucose level. The symptoms that people experience as a result depend on the degree of elevation – higher levels usually mean more symptoms, but this varies from person to person. Unfortunately, these symptoms are not specific. Thus, they could be due to a wide variety of different conditions instead of diabetes. The good news is that a simple blood test for glucose or A1c can easily rule diabetes in or out.
The most common symptoms of diabetes include:
- Excess urination
- Getting up more than 2 times per night to urinate
- Excess thirst and more frequent episodes of dehydration
- Intermittent blurriness of vision or change in glasses prescription
- Low energy, excess sleepiness, headaches, or tiredness
- Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
- Increased hunger
- Yeast infections in the groin or other areas
- Urinary tract infections
- Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
Anyone experiencing anything in the list can easily ask their doctor to check for diabetes with a simple blood test. If the glucose and A1c is normal, it means the symptoms are not due to diabetes and other reasons need to be sought.
Finally, because diabetes is so common and because it rises with age and is associated with many serious diseases, most doctors will test for diabetes in middle-aged and older adults every year, or at the time of hospitalization for any reason, or when any new serious disease is diagnosed.
About the author
Hertzel Gerstein
Hertzel is an endocrinologist and professor at McMaster University who is in high demand as a speaker, advocate, and educator on diabetes-related topics. His research focuses on using large, international randomized trials to identify and test new ways of preventing type 2 diabetes, reducing serious health outcomes like strokes and death, and achieving type 2 diabetes remissions.
articles
Diabetes Basics Part 4: How Common is Diabetes and Why Does it Develop?
Unfortunately, diabetes is extremely common. Approximately 1 in 10 people aged 20 and over throughout the world have diabetes. This is an average with numbers varying by age, country, ethnic origin or ancestry, weight, weight distribution, socioeconomic status, and medical history. In Canada the number is 1 in 10 adults, and 1 in 5 over...
articles
Diabetes Basics Part 3: How is Glucose Measured?
Diabetes is diagnosed when the level in the blood is persistently higher than the thresholds described in the last blog. So how is the glucose level measured? First, the glucose level at a point in time can be measured in a standard blood sample, in which the amount of glucose is detected by another chemical...
articles
Diabetes Basics Part 2: The Definition of Diabetes
The first piece in this blog series describes how someone without diabetes maintains glucose levels within the tight normal range of 4 to 8 mmol/L. Persistently higher glucose levels mean the beta cells of the pancreas can’t make enough insulin to keep glucose from rising. A diagnosis of diabetes is made when the glucose level...