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What Causes Diabetes?
There are two types of Diaยญbetes: type 1 and type 2. Although the exact causยญes of type 1 are unclear, there are a lot of docยญtors who do know about sympยญtoms and earยญly warnยญing signs. Type 2 Diaยญbetes is also a bit of a mysยญtery, but cerยญtain facยญtors โ obeยญsiยญty and a sedenยญtary lifestyle โ put you at greater risk of develยญopยญing it. Both types involve the disยญrupยญtion of insulin proยญducยญtion in your body and someยญtimes must be treatยญed by insulin injecยญtions to help staยญbiยญlize blood sugยญar levels. In this artiยญcle, we explore the sympยญtoms of Diaยญbetes and explain how to recยญogยญnize earยญly warnยญing signs. We also sugยญgest how you can help manยญage the conยญdiยญtion once you receive regยญuยญlar medยญical care. Diaยญbetes is someยญtimes misยญunยญderยญstood, and misยญconยญcepยญtions about it perยญsist. For examยญple, some think only peoยญple who are overยญweight develยญop Diaยญbetes. Untrue! Rememยญber actress Mary Tyler Moore? She had type 1 Diaยญbetes, diagยญnosed at the age of 33. Yet she was an active, slenยญder perยญson who danced daiยญly โ a far cry from the idle, overยญweight idea too many peoยญple still have of what a perยญson with Diaยญbetes looks like. When a child is diagยญnosed with Diaยญbetes, it is usuยญalยญly type 1. Type 2 most comยญmonยญly affects peoยญple over 40. But the signs and sympยญtoms of both are often the same. With either type of Diaยญbetes, the body fails to proยญduce insulin in the panยญcreas, an organ locatยญed behind the stomยญach. When that occurs, sugยญar builds up in the bloodยญstream. Left untreatยญed, Diaยญbetes can cause great damยญage to your body. Diaยญbetes left untreatยญed can inflict kidยญney damยญage, blindยญness, stroke, heart disยญease, and othยญer critยญiยญcal issues. But letโs not go too far into the worst-case sceยญnarยญios. Letโs focus on how you can recยญogยญnize the earยญly signs of Diaยญbetes in yourยญself, your child, or a loved one. Knowlยญedge is powยญer, as the sayยญing goes, and knowยญing these sympยญtoms is the best way to ensure you get prompt treatยญment. Diaยญbetes is not a death senยญtence! Peoยญple can live long lives when itโs manยญaged propยญerยญly. But getยญting a corยญrect, earยญly diagยญnoยญsis is key.Early Warning Signs:
If you see even one of these signs in a perยญson you love or expeยญriยญence one yourยญself, track it for a few days. If one or more of these sympยญtoms perยญsist, itโs time to see your docยญtor. Only she/he can tell you whatโs going on and refer you to a speยญcialยญist if he/she deems it necยญesยญsary. It might be nothยญing, but it just might be an earยญly sign of Diaยญbetes.
- Extreme Thirst And/Or Hunger
We all expeยญriยญence thirst and get pangs of hunger occaยญsionยญalยญly. Maybe a workยญout in the hot sun or missยญing lunch because youโre busy at work makes you ravยญenยญous by supยญperยญtime. Thatโs not what we mean here. If you drink water, but your thirst isnโt satยญisยญfied, or if youโre starvยญing not long after a meal, your blood sugยญar levยญels might be out of whack. If either of these sympยญtoms lasts more than a few days, make an appointยญment with your physiยญcian. Make the call if you notice your child drinkยญing enorยญmous amounts of water and still wantยญiยญng more.- Blurry Vision
This can hapยญpen to anyยญone who is overยญtired or expeยญriยญencยญing eye strain after a long day spent readยญing docยญuยญments at the office. But as with so many sympยญtoms of Diaยญbetes, the imporยญtant thing to notice is whether blurred vision perยญsists. It could spell trouยญble if youโve had a good nightโs sleep and still feel like youโre not seeยญing clearly.- Irritability
Again, we must stress that weโre talkยญing about someยญthing more seriยญous and more freยญquent, that occaยญsionยญal crankยญiยญness. If youโve had a solยญid nightโs rest, and most things are going well, yet you are still short-temยญpered and anxยญious, it could be a sigยญnal that someยญthing is wrong.- Extreme Fatigue
This is tricky because many conยญdiยญtions (like Lupus) can cause extreme fatigue, but Diaยญbetes is one of them. Seeยญing this in your child is parยญticยญuยญlarยญly alarmยญing โ they sleep well, regยญuยญlarยญly, yet they comยญplain of being exhaustยญed. Even if it isnโt Diaยญbetes, the child needs a check-up, espeยญcialยญly if you notice this in comยญbiยญnaยญtion with one or more of the signs weโve outยญlined here.- Urinating a lotโ an awful lot
As we get oldยญer, the need to pee increasยญes. But if youโve regยญuยญlatยญed your fluยญid intake (for examยญple, none after 6 p.m.) and you still get up three or four times a night, it could be a sign of Diaยญbetes. Freยญquent uriยญnaยญtion is one of the most comยญmon symptoms. Chilยญdren can usuยญalยญly last for hours before needยญing to use the bathยญroom, so if you notice that your child is going more often, make a menยญtal note. Donโt panยญic, but if it keeps hapยญpenยญing and isnโt simยญply because they drank too many litres of water while playยญing, conยญsidยญer callยญing their pediยญaยญtriยญcian or your doctor.
- Inexplicable Weight Loss
Losยญing weight when you havenโt been dietยญing, or seeยญing that your child has lost weight even though theyโre eatยญing conยญsisยญtentยญly, is someยญthing you mustยญnโt ignore. This is espeยญcialยญly true if your childโs weight (or your own) has been steady for a long time. A litยญtle flucยญtuยญatยญing up or down isnโt seriยญous. Howยญevยญer, losยญing 10, 15 or 20 pounds is a sign that someยญthing might be amiss.- Infections & Minor Wounds That Donโt Clear Up Quickly
Do you have a uriยญnary tract infecยญtion (UTI) that wonโt go away even when you take antibiยญotics? Any infecยญtion, or even someยญthing minor like a bad bruise, shouldยญnโt take overยญly long to heal once treatยญed. But Diaยญbetes can cause your immune sysยญtem to stop helpยญing you recovยญer at a norยญmal pace. If this is hapยญpenยญing to you or your child, find out if there is an underยญlyยญing cause, like Diaยญbetes. These are the most comยญmon earยญly signs of Diaยญbetes. If you (or a loved one) are expeยญriยญencยญing one or more of them, schedยญule a check-up or phone call with your docยญtor. Itโs vital that Diaยญbetes is diagยญnosed earยญly โ thatโs done with blood and urine tests โ so the sitยญuยญaยญtion doesยญnโt worsen. Even betยญter, take steps to avoid develยญopยญing the conยญdiยญtion at all. Some facยญtors conยญtribute to Diaยญbetes that you canโt avoid, like genetยญics, for examยญple. But othยญers are withยญin your conยญtrol, and the more you pay attenยญtion to them, the better! Here are two tips the whole famยญiยญly can folยญlow. All of them conยญtribute to a healthy lifestyle and help you avoid ever hearยญing the diagยญnoยญsis of Diaยญbetes.1- Control Your Weight
That means not conยญsumยญing too many processed foods and drinks, like fast food, soda, and othยญer sources of fats, sodiยญum and sugยญar. If you enjoy indulging in the occaยญsionยญal sweet treat, make it a once-a-week servยญing of dark chocoยญlate. Eat lots of vegยญetaยญbles, not too much red meat, and donโt call for take-out too often! Obeยญsiยญty is not the only risk facยญtor for develยญopยญing Diaยญbetes, but it is defยญiยญniteยญly one of them.2- Get Lots Of Regular Exercises
While itโs true that plenยญty of active peoยญple get diagยญnosed with Diaยญbetes, regยญuยญlar exerยญcise helps you stay trim and sleep well at night. It also helps regยญuยญlate mood in adults and chilยญdren. Since many schools donโt offer a lot of physยญiยญcal activยญiยญty anyยญmore, make famยญiยญly outยญings โ swimยญming, hikยญing, walks in the park, etc. โ a part of your norยญmal routine.
