WHAT DO THESE SYMPTOMS MEAN FOR YOUR BODY?
Extreme thirst is another common, early symptom of diabetes. It’s tied to high blood sugar levels, which cause thirst on their own, and is exacerbated by frequent urination. Often, drinking won’t satisfy the thirst.
Why Increased Thirst?
You might experience tingling or numbness in your hands, fingers, feet, and toes. This is a sign of nerve damage, or diabetic neuropathy. This condition typically develops slowly. You are likely to experience this after years of living with diabetes, but it can be the first sign for many.
Why Nerve Pain/ Numbness?
Your body uses the glucose in your blood to feed your cells. When this system is broken, your cells can’t absorb the glucose. As a result, your body is constantly looking for more fuel, causing persistent hunger.
Because you have so much extra glucose circulating that it comes out in your urine, you may also lose weight, even while eating more and more to appease your hunger. Unexplained weight loss can be its own warning sign of diabetes.
Why Increased Hunger?
References:
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Basile, M. (2005). Diabetes. In B. Narins (Ed.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 348-357). Detroit, MI: Gale. Retrieved from https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3451500118/OVIC?u=etiwanda_hsl&sid=OVIC&xid=2b539995
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Kyrou, I., Tsigos, C., Mavrogianni, C., Cardon, G., Van Stappen, V., Latomme, J., Kivelä, J., Wikström, K., Tsochev, K., Nanasi, A., Semanova, C., Mateo-Gallego, R., Lamiquiz-Moneo, I., Dafoulas, G., Timpel, P., Schwarz, P. E. H., Iotova, V., Tankova, T., Makrilakis, K., & Manios, Y. (2020). Sociodemographic and lifestyle-related risk factors for identifying vulnerable groups for type 2 diabetes: a narrative review with emphasis on data from Europe. BMC Endocrine Disorders, 20, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12902-019-0463-3
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“U.S. Diabetes Surveillance System.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gis.cdc.gov/grasp/diabetes/DiabetesAtlas.html.