Early Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes - Questions and Answers

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Q - What are the early symptoms of type 2 diabetes?

A - The common early symptoms include the three classic symptoms of diabetes - Polydipsia, Polyuria, and Polyphagia. In addition there are other symptoms that are noticed early in the progression of type 2 diabetes. Some of The common symptoms are explained below. It is important to state that in many situations, the changes are NOT sudden but gradual. And so it is not uncommon to find someone who drinks a lot more water than he used to without noticing the change.

1. Polydipsia - Drinking more water than you used to.
2. Polyuria - Frequently passing large volumes of urine.
3. Polyphagia - Eating a lot of food.
4. Weight loss without trying to do so.
5. Fatigue - Getting tired easily after a little exertion.
6. Problems with wound healing - Wounds take longer time to heal or don't heal well.
7. Frequent infections - Common causes are frequent urinary tract infections(UTI) and fungal infections. Many ladies who were later diagnosed with diabetes, visited the hospital on account of vaginal candidiasis or UTI only. Some of the symptoms of these infections include pruritus vulvae (itchy sensation of the female external genitals), dysuria (pain or burning sensation when passing urine).

Q - Why are they called early symptoms?

A - They are called early symptoms because of all the symptoms of DM that are known, they are usually the first to be seen. They serve as "first" visible signals or indicators of an on going diabetic process.
These symptoms are usually seen when the disease hasn't reached an advanced stage. However, sometimes the diabetic process might have gone on for a while before any of the symptoms are seen. There is no hard and fast rule as to when they must be seen. The important fact here is that at whatever time the symptoms show up, the early symptoms are usually the first to be seen.

Q - Why don't people recognize them early?

A - The early symptoms of type 2 diabetes often go un-noticed. No particular reason has been identified for this but there are suggestions that they are missed because

1. The early symptoms of type 2 diabetes are subtle. Some of them are strictly speaking, not direct symptoms of diabetes. E.g. A lady who has frequent UTI's or vaginal candidiasis, can assume that it's because she's sexually active. Unknown to her, a background diabetic process can in fact make her more susceptible to these infections.
2. The early symptoms of type 2 diabetes develop over time and not suddenly. It's not common for anyone to start drinking 20 glasses of water a day when he previously took 5. The progression is gradual - 5 glasses then 6 then.... And so it often goes un-noticed. However, the hallmark is that it's progressive and persistent.
3. You don't see the early symptoms of type 2 diabetes because you don't look for them. It's a known fact that if you don't know what you're looking for, you won't find it even if it stares you in the face.
4. The early symptoms of type 2 diabetes are noticed but dismissed as 'not serious'. This is very common. So what if I drink more water than I used to, I just feel thirsty that's all. And so what if I pass more urine than I used to, it's because I've been drinking a lot of water. And it goes on and on.
5. Since type 2 commonly affects older people, these symptoms when they are seen are taken as symptoms of old age. For example, almost everyone knows that as men grow older their prostate glands become enlarged. This enlargement will obstruct their urinary passage and make them pass urine more often. So sometimes the symptoms diabetes are mistaken for the symptoms of prostate enlargement.

You should note that prostate enlargement usually causes frequent passage of SMALL volumes of urine while Diabetes usually causes frequent passage of LARGE volumes of urine. Whatever the case, if you start passing urine more frequently than you used to, seek medical advice immediately.

Q - Why is it important to identify the early symptoms of type 2 diabetes?

A - The importance of knowing the early symptoms of type 2 diabetes is so that treatment can be started as early as possible. What makes diabetes a bad disease is the fact that it can cause some irreversible complications if treatment is not started early. On the other hand, if treatment is started early, a person with diabetes can live a close to normal life, free from most if not all of the complications.
Note that these early complications of type 2 diabetes are usually seen before any complication of diabetes has developed.

Q - When should I see the Doctor?

A - Once you notice any of these early symptoms of type 2 diabetes, you should schedule a visit with your doctor immediately. Your doctor will run a few tests including the FPG and RPG and discuss the results with you. Here are three possible scenarios.

1. You DON'T have Diabetes - Congratulations! The results are normal. You will be reassured and sent home. You will also be given some health education and a follow-up appointment.
2. You have Pre-Diabetes - The results of the test are NOT normal, but they are not high enough to be labeled diabetes. In medical terms it is called Impaired Glucose Tolerance and this simply means you are on the way to developing diabetes and so you must be careful. However, don't panic. Not everyone with pre-diabetes goes on to develop diabetes. In fact, studies have shown that with the appropriate diet and recommended exercise, you can reduce your risk of developing diabetes by 1/2. Your doctor will recommend what you should do.
3. You have been diagnosed with Diabetes - If you have type 2 diabetes you will be advised by your doctor to start treatment immediately. Learn more about Diabetes Treatment.

Created - June, 2006