Symptoms of diabetes
Three types of diabetes can be distinguished:
- type 1 affects about 10% of people with diabetes and generally occurs in childhood or adolescence, manifests itself with altered temperature, muscle fatigue and weakness, weight loss due to the fact that, in the absence or absence of insulin, the cells cannot use the glucose in the blood as a source of energy for all activities and make up for it by using muscle proteins and storage fats, dry and dehydrated skin, the need to urinate often and especially at night (polyuria).
When blood glucose levels are very high, since a lot of fluids are lost in the urine, the skin and mucous membranes tend to be dehydrated, the body as a whole feels the need to replenish fluids and, therefore, a sensation of intense thirst (polydipsia), blurred vision, infections as the urine of a person suffering from diabetes is richer in sugar (glucose) and, therefore, represent an excellent growth medium for microorganisms with a consequent increased risk of urinary tract infections (cystitis), difficulty in healing wounds, cramps in the feet and hands, ketoacidosis, usually manifested by dehydration, vomiting, abdominal pain, hunger for air. ;
- type 2 is the most common form of diabetes and represents about 90% of cases of this disease, it is the most insidious because it is silent, therefore more difficult to recognize. Widespread malaise is accused and can be recognized by the high blood sugar level, ie the amount of sugar in the blood, an essential symptom of diabetes; Furthermore, another symptom may occur, namely the clouded sensory (the subject is confused and not very lucid), this form is much more frequent in this type of diabetes mellitus and can be diagnosed several years after its onset, when the complications are already present, even if in silent form. For this reason, regular blood sugar control, at any age, is very important because it allows for early diagnosis in predisposed cases;
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- type 3 occurs in pregnant women, is recognized by a blood sample and disappears after childbirth.
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For a correct and safe diagnosis of diabetes it is sufficient that only one of the following conditions is detected: in the presence of a blood glucose value measured at any time of the day greater than 200 mg / dl; fasting greater than 126 mg / dl (fasting = no food intake for at least 8 hours); blood glucose greater than or equal to 200mg / dl during a load curve; this test is usually carried out in the hospital, by administering a known and defined quantity of sugars and then noting how the measured value changes.
Finally, there are some situations in which, while not exceeding the indicated blood glucose values, we speak of glucose intolerance: fasting blood glucose between 100 and 125mg / dl and blood glucose during a load curve between 140 and 200 mg / dl. Often these conditions occur in the presence of other pathological conditions such as overweight, dyslipidemia (simplifying, cholesterol and / or excess fat in the blood), hypertension (ie high blood pressure).
The general practitioner will find the pathology and will try to treat the lower concentration of glucose in the blood, then will direct the patient to a diabetologist and a podiatrist. The patient will have to take care of nutrition, do physical activity and eliminate smoking.
Although diabetes mellitus does not cause symptoms in itself, if not treated it leads to serious health problems over time: heart disease, such as heart attack; brain stroke; renal failure, up to dialysis; eye damage; sensitivity disorders, especially in the legs; severe circulatory problems in the legs, up to gangrene; ketoacidosic coma, a serious acute condition requiring urgent hospitalization (this situation is far more common in type 1 diabetes mellitus).
Another possible occurrence is hyperglycemic coma which is not characterized by the presence of ketone bodies, but only by marked hyperglycemia (even over 600-700 mg / dl).
