Symptoms of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and worldwide. Here are key facts about Type 1 and 2 diabetes.

Identification

• The symptoms of diabetes include extreme thirst, persistent fatigue, being easy to irritate, blurred vision and frequent urination.
  Since the cells are not able to absorb sugar, patients with diabetes will experience extreme hunger. Frequent urination also causes sugar to be transported out of the body. The combined effects of hunger and frequent urination cause the patient to lose weight.
  Diabetes also increases the risk of gum infection and causes the teeth become loose.
  Many patients with diabetes do not show any symptom until later. There is a typical delay of 5 to 8 years between diabetes onset and diagnosis.

Types

• The symptoms of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are very similar. One can distinguish between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes based on the age of diabetes diagnosis and the need for insulin. Patients with Type 1 diabetes are typically diagnosed at younger ages, less than 30 years old. Most patients with Type 2 diabetes are diagnosed at age 50 and older. Type 1 diabetes patients also need insulin and have ketones present in the urine. In some cases, it is not possible to distinguish between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Considerations

• Talk with your doctor if you have a family member or relatives who have diabetes. Family history is a very strong risk factor for diabetes. Your doctor can schedule regular physical examination and blood tests for you to detect diabetes early.

  There are a number of blood tests used to diagnose diabetes. They include the random blood glucose test, fasting plasma glucose test, hemoglobin A1C test (A1C) and oral glucose tolerance test.

Significance

• Diabetes increases a person's risk of cardiovascular diseases by two or three times. It also leads to a host of diabetic complications that include neuropathy, nephropathy and retinopathy.
  Early diagnosis of diabetes will allow better control of the blood glucose level through lifestyle modifications and medication, and timely use of medical procedures to prevent diabetic complications. Many clinical trials consistently show that good control of blood glucose substantially reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetic complications. Thus, the earlier the diagnosis, the sooner you can start proper treatment.

Expert Insight

• The lifetime risk for developing diabetes is 1 in 3 for men and 2 in 5 for women. Hispanics are most likely to develop diabetes in all races. On average, the life expectancy of a person diagnosed with diabetes at 40 will shorten by 11 to 15 years.