A doctor has outlined three subtle warning signs of diabetes. Diabetes symptoms are often classed as general and don’t necessarily make you feel ill, leaving many patients oblivious to something being wrong.
This makes symptom awareness front and centre. Fortunately, Dr Monica Peres Oikeh took to her TikTok to highlight three red flags you might not be aware of.
1.Feeling thirsty all the time
The first warning sign the doctor mentioned in the video was polydipsia, or excessive thirst. According to Diabetes.co.uk, this is one of the “initial” symptoms of the blood sugar condition.
While everyone is bound to get thirsty from time to time, feeling thirsty all the time or experiencing thirst that is stronger than usual and continues even after you drink can be a sign that something is wrong.
One key tell is that polydipsia is often accompanied by either temporary or prolonged dryness of the mouth.
Worryingly, early diagnosis of this problem is “vital”, because once nerves have been damaged, they cannot repair themselves, the doctor warned.
3. Frequent urination
The last sign the doctor outlined is known as polyuria. This red flag tends to become particularly obvious during nighttime.
Diabetes.co.uk explained: “When the kidneys filter blood to make urine, they reabsorb all of the sugar, returning it to the bloodstream. In diabetes, the level of sugar in the blood is abnormally high.
“Not all of the sugar can be reabsorbed and some of this excess glucose from the blood ends up in the urine where it draws more water.”
So, this mechanism can leave you with “unusually large volumes” of pee.
Dr Oikeh explained that while there are other reasons for these symptoms, you shouldn’t ignore them. “Visit your doctor,” she added.
