Surprising Signs of Diabetes

Did you know that hearing impairment, itchy skin, yellow fingernails and sudden weight loss can all be signs of diabetes? Because the symptoms can be subtle or may occur late in the disease, diabetes frequently goes undiagnosed while it’s causing silent damage that can lead to a heart attack, stroke, blindness, nerve damage, or other serious complications.

About 32 million Americans are walking around with undiagnosed diabetes or pre-diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Because the threat rises with age, the ADA recommends that having your blood sugar checked every three years, starting at age 45--or at a younger age if you have risk factors, such as obesity or a family history of the disease.

Rates of diabetes have hit an all-time high, but half of those who have it are unaware of their danger, according to an alarming new report from the International Diabetes Federation. Here’s a look at red flags that may signal diabetes—or high risk for developing it. If you have any of them, ask your healthcare provider if you need a two-hour oral glucose tolerance test, a blood test the ADA calls “the gold standard” in accuracy for measuring blood sugar.

10 Celebrities Who've Faced Diabetes

Signs to Watch Out For

• A big belly, even if your weight is normal. Having a large waist (above 40 inches for a man or above 35 inches for a woman) is the leading sign of insulin resistance, the root cause of type 2 diabetes and about 70 percent of heart attacks. Studies suggest that the best way to get rid of toxic belly fat is interval training several times a week.
• A rise in your blood pressure. Insulin resistance—a disorder in which the body becomes insensitive to its own insulin--is the number one cause of high blood pressure, a condition that now affects one in three Americans.
• Hearing problems. A new study reports that diabetics are up to 2.6 times as likely as those without the disease to suffer from hearing impairment. In a review of earlier research, Japanese scientists found that younger diabetics were at especially high risk. However, this type of study doesn’t prove that diabetes causes hearing loss, since there could be other reasons for the link.
• Yellow nails. Up to 50 percent of diabetics develop yellowish nails, with the big toe most likely to be affected, according to a study published in Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. The study author reports that this symptom tends to occur in older diabetics and can occasionally affect elderly non-diabetics.
• Giving birth to a large baby. Moms who deliver a baby weighing more than 8 pounds, 13 oz. are twice as likely to have gestational diabetes, compared to moms of smaller babies. Gestational diabetes affects about 200,000 American women a year and boosts risk for developing type 2 diabetes in the next 10 to 20 years by up to 60 percent, according to the CDC.
• Changes in vision. Blurry or double vision, seeing floaters, trouble reading, or seeing an aura or dark ring around lights can all signal high blood sugar, reports the American Optometric Society.  A recent survey by AOS also found that 55 percent of Americans don’t know that diabetic eye disease may not have any early signs, which is why it’s crucial for anyone with the disease to get a yearly eye exam. In rare cases, patients have also reported that their vision temporarily improved shortly a diabetes diagnosis.
• Frequent yeast infections. In women, recurring yeast infections are one of the most common early signs of diabetes. That’s because bacteria thrive in an environment with more sugar. Diabetic women may also experience more vaginal or urinary tract infections. Cuts and bruises that take longer than usual to heal are another common warning sign. 
• Erectile dysfunction. Experts advise men who frequently experience ED, inability to have an erection sufficient for sex, to be checked for diabetes, which can damage blood vessels in the penis. 
• Itchy skin. The disease can sometimes create frequent itchiness. 
• Gum disease. Another new survey found that 66 percent of Americans don’t know that diabetics are twice as likely as non-diabetics to develop oral health problems, including gingivitis and periodontal disease.  Symptoms include bleeding when you brush or floss your teeth, receding gums, persistent bad breath, and redness, swelling or tenderness of the gums. 
• Unusual weight loss. While you may be thrilled to drop a few or several pounds without dieting or exercising, sudden weight loss can be a warning sign of diabetes. This symptom is more common in people with type 1 diabetes, but can also occur in some type 2 diabetics. If the body isn’t making insulin, muscle tissue and fat is broken down for energy.  
• Intense hunger or thirst. Both of these symptoms, as well as increased urination, can herald diabetes. If the body becomes resistant to its insulin, or isn’t producing it in adequate amounts, the kidneys can’t filter glucose back into the blood. As a result, the kidneys take water from blood to dilute glucose, filling up the bladder more frequently than usual. You may notice that you need to get up in the night to pee.
• Numbness or tingling in your hands or feet. This can be a sign of peripheral neuropathy, which in turn may signal nerve damage due to diabetes.
• You feel fine. Remember that in the early stages, diabetes may not cause any symptoms at all, so the only way to tell for sure if you have it is by getting your blood sugar checked. The disease can also cause vague symptoms, such as increased fatigue, that are easy to dismiss as insignificant. Remember that early detection and treatment can greatly reduce the risk of serious or even fatal complications—and may even reverse pre-diabetes.

10 iPhone and Android Apps for Diabetics

——————————