How to Recognize the Signs & Symptoms of Diabetes Type 1

Type 1 diabetes is a serious condition usually diagnosed in children and young adults. There is a standard set of symptoms that arise out of the body's ineffective delivery of sugar and starches throughout the body. While a proper examination by a licensed health care practitioner remains the only way to be sure, discovery of these five symptoms can give you a preliminary indication of the disease.

Instructions

• 1

  Be alert for sudden and drastic changes in eating habits. Type 1 diabetes disables the body from delivering sugars needed for energy and overall health; this is because of a change in insulin level. Because the human body is always striving for balance, if your body isn't getting the sugar it needs even though you are consuming what should be sufficient amounts, you will feel like eating more and more often.

• 2

  Notice if a dramatic increase in thirst and, consequently, urination occurs. As sugar builds in the bloodstream due to not being distributed throughout the body, fluid is pulled from the body's tissue. When the tissues are dehydrated, the body orders more fluid; this request is felt in the form of thirst. By quenching this greater thirst, you begin to ingest larger amounts of fluids, hence the increased urination.

• 3

  Be aware of a lowering level of energy even when well rested. The body uses sugars and starches from the foods we eat, for energy. As type 1 diabetes hinders the ability to deliver that energy, we become run-down even when we are not exerting higher than normal amounts of energy. This is oftentimes the first of the symptoms to be felt but also the most likely to be initially ignored.

• 4

  Beware of blurred vision. The same fluids that are diverted causing increased thirst are pulled from the tissues of the eyes. This drying will likely result in blurred vision and an overall decreased functioning of the eyes.

• 5

  Chart weight loss. Type 1 diabetes causes increased appetite and thirst, which would normally suggest an increase in body weight; however, this is not always true. Even with the rise in caloric intake, you may lose weight due to the shrinking of muscle and fat tissues now starving for energy.