The Early Symptoms of Diabetes

The early symptoms of diabetes can be easily overlooked because many of them are mild or can be attributed to other health issues. If you are experiencing or have experienced one or more of the following symptoms, you should ask your doctor about testing for diabetes. Untreated diabetes can lead to serious health issues, including coma, blindness and death.

Increased Thirst/Hunger
An increase in thirst or hunger is an early symptom of diabetes, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Hunger and thirst are symptoms related to a decrease of insulin in the body. When the body's muscles and organs cannot process blood sugar into energy without insulin, the body believe it needs more food. The lack of insulin leads to increased sugar in the blood, which leads to excessive thirst.

Fatigue
The body's muscles and organs' ability to use blood sugar for energy is hindered because of a lack of insulin. Without the energy normally provided by blood sugar, a person with diabetes will tire more quickly and feel run down.

Unintended Weight Loss
The inability of the body to properly process blood sugar into energy leads to another early symptom of diabetes--unintended weight loss. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, without energy from blood sugar, the body begins to process fat and muscle tissue into energy. This can lead to weight loss unrelated to changes in activity or diet.

Increased Urination
The increase of blood sugar because of the lack of insulin is also the culprit for increased urination. In an effort to rid the body of excessive sugar, the work harder, increasing the need to urinate.

Blurry Vision
The excessive blood sugar levels can cause the eye's lens to swell and change shape, which can lead to blurry vision. Correcting blood sugar levels will eliminate this symptom. There are several reasons a person with diabetes may have blurry vision. However, most of these issues are related to long-term complications of diabetes and are not considered an early symptom.