Could you have type 2 diabetes and not know it? Around 9% of Americans have type 2 diabetes, and almost 25% are unaware of it. The statistics for prediabetes raise red flags too. About 30% of Americans have prediabetes, and 84% don’t know it. Plus, the number of people with both conditions is on the rise. The likely reason is higher rates of obesity.
The Symptoms of Prediabetes and Mild Type 2 Diabetes Are Subtle
We hear a lot about type 2 diabetes, but less about prediabetes, a condition where their blood glucose level is above normal, but not yet in the diabetic range. If you have prediabetes, your risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the next few years is significant, unless you make lifestyle changes to lower the risk.
Treatment of prediabetes, also known as insulin resistance, is through lifestyle changes like diet modifications, weight loss, and exercise – but first, you have to know you have it! Mild type 2 diabetes may also respond to lifestyle changes, particularly weight loss.
Type 2 diabetes and prediabetes can be “silent” diseases from a symptom standpoint, but it’s not silent based on how it damages the human body. Over time, type 2 diabetes can injure almost every organ in the human body, particularly the kidneys, blood vessels, heart, and retina in the eye. Studies now show that damage to blood vessels can occur even during the prediabetic stage.
You’re probably familiar with the most common symptoms of diabetes – frequent urination, increased thirst, hunger, and fatigue. These are the more conspicuous symptoms that alert you that something is wrong. But diabetes can cause more subtle symptoms that you might brush off as a product of working too hard or not sleeping enough. Let’s look at the “sneaky” signs of diabetes you might not know about.
Tingling in the Feet
Diabetes, even mild diabetes that causes no obvious symptoms, can quietly damage peripheral nerves. Nerve damage from diabetes is most common in the legs and feet, although your hands can also be affected. Along with tingling and numbness, you might experience pain, weakness, lack of coordination, and balance issues.
How common is diabetic neuropathy? Seven out of ten people with diabetes experience nerve damage or neuropathy. In some people, it can be the first sign that something is amiss. If you ignore it, you can lose sensation in your feet and even have trouble walking.
Diabetes is the most common cause of peripheral neuropathy, but there are others, such as nutritional deficiencies, medications, toxins, cancer chemotherapy, and more. It’s a symptom that is important to check out. Once you know diabetes is the cause, controlling your blood sugar may slow or stop the nerve damage and help with the symptoms.
Slow Wound Healing
One of the downsides of having diabetes is it reduces your body’s ability to heal wounds. Even minor ones may stick around longer than expected and have a higher risk of secondary infection. Diabetes damages blood vessels that carry oxygen, nutrients, and other factors that help heal. So wounds heal slower, and there’s a greater risk of infection even from a minor injury, like a cut or scrape.
If you have a recent history of wound infections and slow healing wounds, see your doctor for a blood glucose check. Diabetes is one of the most common causes of significant lower-limb amputations in the world. It accounts for up to 90% of lower-limb amputation cases in many countries, and it starts from a slow healing wound. Lower extremities are prone to develop diabetic wounds due to diabetic-related nerve damage. You lose sensation from nerve damage and don’t realize you have a wound or cut until it’s at an advanced stage.
Recurrent Itching or Yeast Infections
Itching and redness can be a sign of a yeast infection. People with diabetes are at greater risk of developing infections with yeast, a type of fungus. These fungi live on most people’s skin but are less likely to overgrow and cause infection in healthy people with a normal blood sugar level. Many diabetics experience repeated yeast infections, not realizing they have diabetes. The most common sites for yeast overgrowth are the vagina and surrounding tissues, and moist areas of the body, like between skin folds. Whenever you experience repeated yeast infections, consult your physician and ensure your blood sugar is in the normal range.
Blurred Vision
Diabetes damages the retina in the back of the eye, which transmits light signals to the brain. This can lead to a condition called diabetic retinopathy, a common cause of visual loss in diabetics. High blood sugar also causes swelling behind the protective lens that covers the eye, and this can cause visual blurring. If you have visual problems, consult your physician and get regular eye exams.
Fatigue and Brain Fog
When your blood sugar level is high, you might also experience fatigue, brain fog, and problems concentrating, and it’s a sign that can occur early in diabetes. Why does diabetes cause these symptoms? With diabetes, it’s harder for blood glucose to get into cells. Your brain runs on glucose, and when it’s not entering brain cells as it should, you feel drowsy, confused, and less productive. Difficulty remembering things can also be an early sign of diabetes.
The Bottom Line
Diabetes is a disease that many people have and don’t know. Be aware of these five signs of “silent diabetes,” and check with your doctor if you have them. Uncontrolled blood glucose levels damage every organ in your body.
Be aware and proactive! Making healthy lifestyle choices can help reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, but it’s important to know your risk so you can take steps to reduce your odds. The earlier you discover you get your blood sugars under control, the less long-term damage you’ll sustain. Be aware of any of these subtle changes and consult your healthcare provider.
References:
National Institutes of Health. “Poor immune response impairs diabetic wound healing”
American Diabetes Association. “Eye Complications”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Prediabetes – Your Chance to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes”
National Institutes of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases. “Symptoms & Causes of Diabetes
“Diabetes Symptoms | CDC.” 27 Apr. 2021, cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/symptoms.html.
Merck Manual. Eighteenth edition. 2002.
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