| Symptoms and Risk Factors |
| Written by Karen Major | |
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The signs and symptoms of diabetes mellitus will vary depending on whether you have type one, type two, pre-diabetes or gestational diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is a disease group that consists of four different types of diabetes, among these types are the two chronic varieties of diabetes that referred to as type one diabetes and type two diabetes. There are also two varieties that are deemed recoverable forms of the disease; these are pre-diabetes and gestational diabetes. The symptoms of the disease vary according to the type of diabetes you may have. Type One and Type TwoType One diabetes is also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes because it is usually diagnosed in children, teenagers or young adults. Both type one and type two diabetes share the same list of symptoms. These symptoms include slow healing sores, blurred vision, increased thirst, fatigue, extreme hunger, unexplained weight loss, frequent urination, and frequent infections. These infections might include vaginal and bladder infections, or skin and gum infections.Type one diabetes most often happens in childhood or adolescence. Type two can appear at any age and can often be prevented. However, type two diabetes is being now being diagnosed in younger children much more frequently. Especially since younger children have become heavier and less active than ever before. Pre-Diabetes and Gestational DiabetesFor pre-diabetes or gestational diabetes you may not have any symptoms, or you could have some, or all, of the symptoms listed for types one and two. Gestational Diabetes occurs when a pregnant woman who has never had the disease before, gets diabetes.Risk FactorsIf you think you might have diabetes and have any of the above symptoms, go see a doctor. As with most diseases, the quicker you get diagnosed and treated the more likely you are to stop the progress of the disease.After you have been diagnosed with diabetes you will need to be seen regularly until your blood sugar levels are stable. It has been thought that family history is part of the risk and contributes to the development of type one diabetes. If either of your parents or a sibling have type one diabetes, you are much more likely to get it too. It has not yet been determined what causes type one diabetes. A virile infection is suspected as a possible cause, as well as several other possibilities. Pre-diabetes and type two diabetes can contribute to the likelihood of contracting type one. For pre-diabetes and type two, family history is also a main risk factor in contracting the disease. If you have any close relative with type two diabetes, or you are overweight, you are at risk. The more overweight you are, the more insulin resistant you are. Race also is a significant factor. Doctors don’t know why, but several races are more apt to get type two diabetes than others. Age also is a factor. The older you get, the more susceptible you are. There is a direct correlation between the amount of activity in your life and how apt you are to get diabetes. The more active you are, the less likely you are to develop type two diabetes. If you get gestational diabetes while you are pregnant, you are at a greater risk for pre-diabetes and type two diabetes. Also, if a woman has had polycystic ovary syndrome she is much more prone to get type two diabetes. Testing and DiagnosisThe tests for diabetes are fairly simple and well worth your time if you even suspect any diabetic type problems. A blood test called the glycated hemoglobin test, or A1C, is done for type one or type two diabetes. If, after two separate blood tests, the A1C level of each is 6.5% or higher, diabetes is indicated.There are two other blood tests the doctor may choose, one is a fasting blood sugar test and the other is called a random blood sugar test. The fasting blood sugar test is done after an overnight fast. The random test can be done at any time whether you have eaten or not. High levels on either of these tests indicate diabetes. These tests can also be used to determine pre-diabetes. If gestational diabetes is suspected, the obstetrician will probably do a special and more involved type of test between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy. PreventionIf you don’t have diabetes, doctors recommend that you can reduce the chance of getting the disease by watching your diet and keeping your weight down. They also suggest that getting plenty of exercise plays a particular role in staving off the disease. This is particularly true of children and older adults. |
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