Diabetes Mellitus symptoms begin to appear mostly in chronic diabetes and subsides in acute diabetes mellitus. These signs and symptoms vary from person to person according to the condition of the disease.
Symptoms may be mild or severe. Why these symptoms appeared?
The answer is, When insulin production is insufficient in type 1 diabetes mellitus or insensitivity to glucose in type 2 diabetes mellitus, glucose (blood sugar) is elevated. Because insulin hormone is responsible for the lowering of glucose, as it transports the extra glucose from the blood to body tissues like liver, adipose tissues, or muscles.
Glucose is a powerhouse of the energy for all the cells and it stores in the form of glycogen in the liver. When you are in fasting, glycogen breaks down and releases the energy into the cells. But in the absence of insulin, glucose will stay in blood and diabetes mellitus occurs. This extra glucose will accumulate in the organs like eyes, joints, spleen, brain, and vessels.
Symptoms appeared in type 1 diabetes often appear rapidly, within a number of weeks. Type 1 often starts in childhood but it can also occur at any age. Type 2 diabetes mellitus symptoms usually develop over a number of years and mostly starts after the age of 40 years.
Low levels of insulin, high level of glucose, and low energy levels for the body’s cell develop the signs and symptoms in diabetics.
Early Diabetes Mellitus symptoms
1- Increased thirst
Excessive thirst or increased urination(also called polyuria) is a classic diabetes symptom. When you are suffering from diabetes, additional blood sugar (glucose) accumulates in your blood. If your kidney can’t keep it up, kidneys excrete out additional glucose through the urine.
2- Increased hunger
Increased hunger or polydipsia is an early diabetes mellitus symptoms. Due to excessive urination, more water is excreted out, and increase thirst happens.
3- Dry mouth
Due to excessive urination or excessive thirst, your body is more dehydrated.
4- Frequent urination or infections
Excessive thirst causes excessive urination in diabetics due to additional urine glucose.
5- Unexplained weight loss
Even though you are eating well and feel hungry too, weight loss is still there in chronic diabetes mellitus.
6- Fatigue, tired
Excess glucose in the blood causes people more sleepy and tired. Diabetics are more exhausted.
7- Blurred vision
High levels of blood glucose resulting from diabetes can affect your eyes as it accumulates in the eye lens. The ability to see is affected by accumulating the glucose inside the lens. It causes the eye to swell, which can result in a temporary blurring of vision.
8- Peripheral neuropathy
It is the most common diabetic Mellitus symptoms. It affects mostly feet and legs then followed by the hands and arms. Symptoms of this type of Peripheral neuropathy mostly worsens at night.
It may include:
- Tingling sensation
- Pains or sharp cramps
- Numbness or reduced ability to sense the special senses like pain or temperature changes
- Muscles weakness
- Increased sensitivity to touch stimulus
9- Diabetic Ketoacidosis
The presence of ketones in the urine is also added in another diabetes mellitus symptom. Ketones are actually a byproduct of the breakdown of the muscle and fat that present when there is not sufficient available insulin.