You can determine diabetes by paying attention to the symptoms that appear. With this endocrine disease, the state of health deteriorates. At first, many patients do not even pay attention to the first symptoms of diabetes mellitus, even though type I pathology deteriorates the quality of human life in a matter of days. The later the disease is detected, the more difficult it is to obtain compensation. Do not forget about the signs of diabetes, this will allow you to consult a doctor in time if they occur.
Characteristics of the disease
Diabetes mellitus is a serious endocrine pathology in which there is an absolute or relative lack of insulin. In the first case, the pancreatic cells do not produce it in the required amount, and in the second case, it interferes with the interaction of this hormone with the target cells.
Insulin is needed so that the tissues can absorb the glucose entering the body. If the hormone does not perform its functions, sugar circulates in the blood for a long time. As a result, the tissues and organs do not receive the necessary energy.
The pathology manifests itself in the development of persistent hyperglycemia. The concentration of sugar constantly exceeds the norm. 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 seen in children and young people. The main symptoms of type I pathology are pronounced. In this form of the disease, insulin is not produced in the patient's body, so patients must inject this hormone daily.
In form II, the first signs do not appear immediately, they are mild. A person does 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 become insensitive to it.
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. After childbirth, the condition normalizes, but a woman must 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 parts. Their appearance is characteristic of both forms of the disease. But insulin-dependent people predominantly develop the main symptoms. They appear in the period when no more than 20% of the cells responsible for insulin production remain in the pancreas.
The main features are:
- polyuria - increased urination, increased urine volume;
- polydipsia - the appearance of obsessive thirst that cannot be quenched, the patient can drink more than 5 liters of water per day;
- polyphagia - increased hunger, no feeling of fullness after eating;
- weight loss - with the development of insulin dependence, people lose weight quickly.
In the first form of the disease, patients can name approximately the date when they first felt unwell.
But the main symptoms also occur in type II of the disease. Their severity gradually increases. Therefore, the patient often cannot say when he first felt a change in his well-being. Non-insulin-dependent patients notice minor symptoms earlier. But many of them can be confused with other diseases, so people do not immediately turn to an endocrinologist.
Secondary symptoms include:
- dry mouth;
- itching of the skin and mucous membranes;
- muscle weakness, increased fatigue;
- difficult-to-treat skin lesions;
- visual disturbances;
- persistent headache;
- metallic taste in the mouth;
- numbness of limbs.
But the main and secondary signs are formed in all forms of pathology. It is possible to understand what type the patient is suffering from without a comprehensive examination for specific reasons. But to clarify the diagnosis, the choice of treatment diagnostics is mandatory.
Type 1 symptoms
People whose cells responsible for insulin production are destroyed experience constant hunger. As the amount of absorbed food increases, their weight may decrease. If such changes are detected, blood should be given immediately for sugar.
Other symptoms of insulin dependence include:
- increased nervous excitability;
- vomiting for no reason, nausea;
- the smell of acetone when breathing;
- pain in the region of the heart;
- sleep disorder;
- sharp headache.
The appearance of even 1 symptom should not be ignored. You can understand that there are problems by taking an analysis to determine the blood sugar level. If you do not start insulin treatment when the first signs appear, the patient's condition will quickly deteriorate and he may fall into a diabetic coma.
Type 2 symptoms
The following are the specific changes that can be assumed for the development of the non-insulin-dependent form of the disease:
- pain in the limbs;
- spasms in the muscles of the legs and arms;
- weight gain;
- deterioration of libido, potency problems;
- decrease in pain sensitivity;
- weakening of the immune system;
- the appearance of xanthomas on the body - yellow formations that occur with a violation of fat metabolism;
- increased hair growth on the face while reducing their number on the legs.
But these manifestations in patients are often mild, so people do not pay attention to them. Many problems are discovered accidentally during a routine checkup.
Characteristics of occurrence
In the case of men and women, there is no significant difference in the development of the disease. It starts the same for both sexes. They differ only in minor symptoms.
The severity of pathological symptoms and the speed of development of the disease directly depend on the age of the person. Type I diabetes is diagnosed in children and adolescents. People over the age of 40 develop type II disease.
Non-insulin-dependent pathologies are more often observed in patients who:
- leads an inactive lifestyle;
- is overweight;
- consume large amounts of simple carbohydrates;
- experiences constant psycho-emotional stress.
Based on the symptoms, you can distinguish the types of the disease.
In children
The predominantly insulin-dependent form of diabetes develops in young people. This diagnosis is given to patients under 30 years of age. A medical consultation is necessary if a child or young person urinates frequently, the amount of liquid consumed has increased significantly.
The disease is more likely to develop in children who:
- they have a genetic predisposition to developing diabetes;
- He was born with a weight of 4. 5 kg;
- suffer from metabolic disorders (obesity, hypothyroidism);
- suffered from a viral infection, which may have damaged pancreatic cells (rubella, measles, mumps and others).
In children and adolescents with a mild form, the symptoms do not always appear, they can be almost invisible. Symptoms appear only as the disease progresses.
For men
Adult patients are at risk of developing type 2 pathology. Men are prone to diabetes, in whom the volume of the abdomen increases in the event of excess weight. With visceral obesity, the pressure on the internal organs increases, and the functioning of the pancreas is disrupted.
Alarming symptoms are the weakening of sexual desire and impotence. Inflammation of the foreskin can be a characteristic symptom - 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 membrane. Women face this occurrence more often - they have discomfort in the genital area. Most of them consult a gynecologist with suspicions of sexually transmitted infections. If, according to the results of the tests, there are no STDs, there are no problems with the microflora, then the doctor may recommend checking the sugar level.
Diagnostics
If symptoms of endocrine disorders appear, an examination should be carried out. Diabetes can be detected by tests that determine:
- the concentration of glucose in the blood on an empty stomach;
- glycated hemoglobin - shows the patient's average sugar level in the last 2-3 months;
- glucose tolerance test - an analysis that is performed on an empty stomach and repeated after taking glucose.
The doctor can recommend donating blood at any time without prior preparation. This is necessary if there are symptoms typical of diabetes.
Which doctor should you see?
Patients with severe, minor or specific symptoms of diabetes should consult an endocrinologist. But the therapist can make a preliminary diagnosis - 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 therapy. In case of the first type of disease, insulin injections are indispensable. Patients with type II diabetes are prescribed dietary therapy, select drugs that cause the target cells to more actively absorb insulin and glucose.