Diabetes symptoms: The 5 ‘hidden’ signs of the condition according to an expert

This Morning: Type 2 diabetes can be 'devastating' says expert

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Having diabetes means your blood glucose level is too high. It can happen when your body can’t produce any insulin at all – type 1 diabetes. Or it happens when your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or the insulin it produces isn’t effective – type 2.

Navin Khosla, medical writer at prescription company NiceRx, explained more about the symptoms that can affect people with both types of diabetes.

He told Express.co.uk: “Over 400 million people have diabetes around the world which goes to show how common the health issue is and on top of this figure, there is a large number of the world’s population who are suffering from diabetes but are yet to be diagnosed.

“There are several symptoms which could indicate a person is suffering from diabetes including fatigue, hunger and numbness in the hands and feet and although diabetes does affect millions of people around the world, there are a number of steps we can all take to reduce the risks

“In order to reduce your chances of being diagnosed with diabetes, it’s important to live a healthy lifestyle as much as possible.

“Exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet and losing weight if necessary can all have a big impact on reducing the risks but if you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned, it’s important to seek advice from a doctor and they can investigate and prescribe you the correct medication if needed.”

According to Navin, the top five hidden signs of diabetes, which could indicate the early stages of the condition, are:

Hunger – Those suffering from diabetes often find themselves feeling hungry as the food they eat doesn’t provide them with an adequate amount of energy due to the body not being able to move enough glucose from the bloodstream to the body’s cells.

Tiredness – Diabetes can have an impact on a person’s energy levels due to an insufficient amount of sugar moving from the bloodstream to the body’s cells.

As soon as the body’s energy levels drop, it will inevitably cause tiredness, so it’s something to keep in mind.

Blurry vision – Due to an excessive amount of sugar in the bloodstream, the vessels within the eyes can be damaged, which in turn causes blurry vision in one or both eyes.

If left untreated, this can cause lasting damage to a person’s vision so needs to be monitored.

Feeling thirsty – When there is too much sugar in the body, it requires the kidneys to work harder which results in more frequent urination.

This is often a common problem for people with diabetes and the more urine the body passes, means an increased level of thirst.

Numbness in the hands and feet – One side effect of high blood sugar is that it can impact the blood circulation within the body.

If someone has type 2 diabetes, then this can result in pain and numbness in the hands and feet or a tingling sensation.

The NHS recommends seeing a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms.

Type 2 diabetes is far more common in the UK than type 1.

Around 90 percent of all adults with diabetes have type 2.

It is not yet known what causes type 1 diabetes.

Whereas, type 2 is often linked to being overweight or inactive, or having a family history of the condition.

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