The Signs and Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is by far the most common form of diabetes there is today (accounting for more than 90 percent of all cases that have been diagnosed). Unfortunately, diabetes clinical studies have suggested that there could be millions of more people who have this disease but are not aware of it. Type 2 diabetes tends to develop quite slowly, in contrast to type 1 diabetes where the symptoms can manifest quite rapidly. This means that people could have T2D for years without having any clue.

(You may also want to check out: Diabetes Signs & Symptoms and Diabetes Treatments)

Common Signs of Type 2 Diabetes

The most common symptoms that have been associated with type 2 diabetes include:

• Increased Hunger: If your body is not able to metabolize enough sugar for your cells, then your organs and muscles will be depleted of much needed energy. In turn, this will cause a very intense hunger.
• Increased Thirst Plus Frequent Urination: As an excess level of sugar builds up in your bloodstream, this will actually draw more fluids from the tissues of the body. This can leave you with an extreme thirst. So you are drinking more than usual and urinating more than usual.
• Fatigue: When the cells are deprived of these essential sugars, you are not provided with the energy you would normally get from eating food.
• Weight Loss: Patients with T2D may begin to lose weight, even though they are eating more than they usually would. If the body is not able to metabolize sugars (glucose) effectively, then it will have to start burning alternative fuels, like muscle and fat, to preserve energy.
• Wounds Heal Slowly and Frequent Infections: Type 2 diabetes can have a major impact on your body’s ability to heal wounds and resist infections.
• Blurry Vision: When the blood sugar becomes too high, fluid could actually be drawn from the lenses of the eyes. This could make it very difficult for the eyes to focus on anything very well.
• Areas of Darkened Skin: There are some people who will develop these areas of dark or velvety skin in the creases or folds of their bodies (often the neck or in the armpits) if they have type 2 diabetes. This is a condition which is known as acanthosis nigricans, and it is often a major red flag for insulin resistance.

Raising Awareness for Diabetes

A lack of public awareness has not been helpful when it comes to identifying new cases of type 2 diabetes. Too put it plainly, most people really don’t know what to keep an eye out for or how to identify the symptoms of this disease. In fact, when surveyed on a national basis, most Americans would not be able to tell the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It is our hope that more pages like this can help to teach more people about this disease. Through educating more people about these diseases, we could start to make a real difference when it comes to diabetes.