Last Updated on April 24, 2023 by Dr Sharon Baisil MD
Everyone is aware of the common symptoms of diabetes but very few might be knowing about some very reluctant and little known diabetes symptoms. The most often talked of signs are;
- drinking a lot of water and still not able to satiate the thirst.
- increased number of visits to washrooms for urination.
- periodic dizziness.
- slow healing of wounds.
Higher levels of blood glucose also exemplify some not so widely known signals which are must get aware of. Diabetes is a convoluted disease in itself. If controlled well, a person can continue to live normal throughout life.But, however, in cases of carelessness, some crucial complication may arrive.
Some of which are fatal enough to cost a life. Quite threatening, right? So, don’t you think you must get yourselves familiar with fewer known symptoms of undiagnosed diabetes? Here’s to have a glance at some overlooked warnings and signs that may result from the heightening of blood sugar levels.
1. Nervous disorders
High blood sugar levels to which no heed is paid turns out to be disastrous. There are several disorders related to the nervous system all of which are initiated by diabetes. The most researched one is diabetic neuropathies. Neuropathy simply means any kind of injury in nerves.
There is a system of nerves in our body called the peripheral nervous system. The nerves of these system includes all the nerves except those of the brain and spinal cord. These nerve fibers have got a responsibility to carry sensory signals from body organs to the brain.
However, they can function in reverse direction too, carrying messages from the brain to the receptor organs. Peripheral neuropathy comes into effect when anything nerve if this system is affected or damaged.
In scientific terms, it is also called as non-traumatic neuropathies which means that nerves don’t damage as a result of any outside accident but due to other internal body behavior. Elevated levels of sugar in blood, after apparent time, start damaging nerve tracts and blood vessels.
This becomes the main cause of painful nerves, and eventually the cause of peripheral neuropathy. The symptom you experience here is paining in nerves. Effects can be many including tingling, numbness and intense aches.
The good thing is that well-controlled blood sugar levels can prevent a person from undergoing such conditions. The intricacies developed in the nervous system further tends to disrupt the function of nerves of the eyes.
The sudden occurrence of vision problems can be the direct consequence of undiagnosed diabetes. The capillaries that supply blood to the eyes are very delicate. They can be easily damaged by high blood sugar resulting in blurred vision.
A prolonged rise in blood sugar levels can even lead to a complete loss of vision. This prompts for a medical condition known as diabetic retinopathy. When capillaries are distorted, blood may leak through them leading to a disease termed floaters.
Floaters are dark blobs circumpassing the person’s field of view. Moreover, macular edema is another related disorder linked to high blood sugar. The important region of the eye, called the macula, responsible for focussing sharp and accurate images on retina swells up.
As a result, the number of activities like reading and recognizing can be hindered. Do you know? if you regularly wear spectacles and suddenly one day you notice a bit improvement in your eyesight, then this doesn’t essentially a good spec.
Rather, it may be an indicator of unchecked diabetes. This is ironical but true. When diagnosed early, macular edema is completely curable. Of course, the control lies in controlling blood sugar levels.
All the organs which receive nerve supplies are exposed to dangers. With the flow of time, difficulty in hearing generates as the nerves, vessels and some parts of the inner ear become prone to damage due to drastically lifted up blood sugar levels. 30% of diabetic patients suffered from hearing complications with the onset of diabetes.
2. Accompanied tiredness all day long
Feeling tired in spite of taking meals at proper time is also a lesser-known symptom of unchecked diabetes. If you aren’t watchful towards your risen blood sugar levels, they further harm kidneys. From then onwards, kidneys fail to function effectively. The waste products keep accumulating in the blood.
This can be followed by swelling on the face and feet. The fluid balance of the body gets disturbed with the malfunctioning of kidneys. The end result is the feeling of fatigue and tiredness every time. You feel exhausted after working for short intervals of time.
All-time hungriness becomes an apparent factor for such people. This makes them feel even more retarded. Normally, a person can go without eating for 3-4 hours conveniently after having a meal.
But there might come a situation when a person may start feeling hungry again just after 5 minutes of leaving the dining table. Such a person is at high risk of getting diagnosed with diabetes. High blood sugar makes insulin ineffective. Now, insulin isn’t able to stimulate cells to absorb glucose.
The body cells do not get their good, the fuel which they need to work consistently. This scenario is often followed by a weight loss. Therefore, a sudden loss of weight also puts a doubt on diabetes formulation.
There are two things to consider now. You feel inactive and hungry all day long despite eating a regular diet. Both of these factors point out the need for diabetic medication. Fainting is again an outcome of a lack of fuel in cells. And repeated outbreaks of fainting are serious indicators of unchecked levels of blood sugar. If you notice someone in that state, immediately advise them to consult a doctor instead of taking OTCs and other pharmaceuticals.
3. Acute chest pains
The most common reason for chest pain is Angina. This happens when cardiac muscles are unable to receive an ample supply of oxygenated blood. People with heart disease have fairly high chances of developing diabetes. This can be vice-versa too.
If we look carefully at the statistics, a big number of men and women who suffer diabetes died due to heart stroke. A well-established care plan for weight management coupled with regular physical exercise are the two impeccable strategies to beat out this health hazard.
Medicines containing a suitable amount of nitrates are prescribed under such circumstances. The reason being that nitrates possess the property of widening blood vessels.
This ensures that arteries and veins carrying blood to and fro towards the heart function well. People suffering from any heart-related disorders or the ones with pre-diabetes must limit the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes, and street foods.
4. Erectile dysfunction
Ever thought that high blood sugar levels can interfere with your reproductive organs too. Erectile dysfunction is the condition when a male individual fails to achieve firmness in the penis during the erection for sexual intercourse.
According to experts, it probably happens when the nerves contributing to the erection of the penis get wounded. And the cause of this damage is obviously, increased blood sugar levels. As erectile dysfunction is caused by increased blood sugar, it can be prevented through regular governing of blood sugar levels.
5. Bad oral health
Gum diseases are also listed among the silent signs of undiagnosed diabetes. High blood sugar promotes the growth of harmful bacteria which further becomes the reason for building up plaque, tooth decay, cavity, etc. Gum disease, particularly Gingivitis is the most dreadful of all. It’s when gums get pulled away from the teeth leading to serious infections.
Tooth loss and breaking of bones of mouth might even take place. All the consequences mentioned here are scary to be thought of happening in real. Better to visit a dentist and get a deep cleansing for your mouth to prevent bad breath. If you are facing such problems related to oral hygiene, it is highly recommendable to get your blood sugar levels checked.
6. Skin issues
Diabetes opens up the permeable gateways for countless skin tags. These include infections, rashes, dark patches, sores, and bumps. Researches find that people’s body starts acquiring certain skin patches when they develop insulin resistance.
These skin markers can have multiple forms. In some cases, small loose flaps of skin hangs on some locations on a body. These hanging flaps can be dark brown to black in color. One such relevant case is the occurrence of yellow-colored scaly patches around and on the eyelids.
A condition known as xanthelasma in medical terminology. There are innumerable terrible health conditions that fall under this category. A brief overview of each of them is given.
Acanthosis nigricans
This sounds like the name of the tribal group but it’s actually a name of a weird unhealthy condition. This is a pathetic condition characterized by dark rashes that feel like velvet to touch. These unusual rashes are generally seen on armpits and around the neck area. They emit a foul odor.
Although there are not many apparent shreds of evidence, it is said that such marks are more common in people with a dark complexion.
Dry skin
So suddenly you are noticing that your skin is remaining dry most of the time without a proper known cause. This can be another warning for you to get yourself checked by the physician.
Mostly, you will experience itchiness also. The skin may continue to crack which paves a way for itching and infections to come into play. Make sure you drink plenty of water to deter more of dehydration. Intake of rightful amounts of vitamin C at this time can help.
At this time, one should keep skin clean and dry. Using lukewarm water while having showers will kill harmful germs aiding to infectious growth. There are many lotions available in the market specifically for this purpose.
To name some, Gold Bond Ultimate for diabetic dry skin, Flexitol diabetic foot balm, and many more. But the ultimate treatment strategy still remains the same – well maintained blood sugar levels.
Infections
There can be several infected areas within your body but diabetes is mostly concerned with infections in the urinary tract. Fungal infections mainly take place though bacteria ones may also occur. The most commonly affected organs are eyes, vagina, spaces between the feet.
Be a little extra cautious towards your hygienic habits. The use of skin creams made to be used under such specific requirements is preferred. All such infections can be curbed to a good extent if a person is attentive enough towards his/her blood sugar levels within time.
Bullosis diabetricorum
Hearing this term for the first time? It’s because this condition is rare, yet a rigid warning for uncontrollably risen blood sugar levels. It is marked by the sudden appearance of blisters. These can appear in any region throughout the body.
Such blisters are either large and round or can be small blisters that get aggregated together at some part of the body. What’s more astounding is that these blisters are not painful but are morphologically similar to the blisters that develop after body part gets burned.
Eruptive xanthomatosis
The formation of the huge number of prickles on the body which looks just like reddish-yellow pimples. They can be outgrown on any part of the body and cause intense itching. It’s better to visit a doctor and get your blood glucose readings tested instead of trying skin ointments. Next time you observe anyone in your circle with such symptoms, make them alert.
Concluding words
There exist some little known symptoms of diabetes. Often, people being unaware of such signs lookout for the first line of defense. They prefer to self treat those ailments with Over The Counter drugs instead of visiting a doctor. The situation may turn more disastrous if kept unchecked for a longer time.
As you high blood sugar levels badly affect almost every other vital organ of your body. If you are currently experiencing any of such symptoms on a repeated basis, you must urgently seek medical attention.
Usually, people suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and obesity are at higher risk for developing diabetes. All the above symptoms mentioned above can be cured successfully if diagnosed at the right time. The regular monitoring of blood sugar levels is only the master solution that emerges out.
If you are informed of your readings timely, you will be able to eliminate all the complications at a very early stage, not causing you much trouble. So if you ever find yourself advancing towards such doubtful situations, better to spend little time and money for the sake of your good health. Rather than depending on pharmaceuticals and OTCs. They won’t help you every time.
