Ignoring the symptoms of diabetes can lead to serious health complications. Diabetes affects how your body processes blood sugar (glucose). Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage nerves, blood vessels and organs. Catching diabetes early and getting treatment can prevent or delay problems.
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
Common diabetes symptoms include:
- Frequent urination
- Increased thirst and hunger
- Fatigue
- Blurred vision
- Slow-healing sores
- Frequent infections
These symptoms may come on gradually and be mild at first. Having one or more symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you have diabetes. But it’s important to get checked by your doctor, especially if symptoms persist or worsen. Blood and urine tests can confirm if you have diabetes.
What happens when diabetes goes undiagnosed?
If diabetes goes undiagnosed and untreated, glucose continues building up in the blood. Over weeks and months, high blood sugar can damage blood vessels, nerves, organs and other body systems. Complications may include:
Cardiovascular disease
Diabetes dramatically increases the risk of various cardiovascular problems, including coronary artery disease with chest pain (angina), heart attack, stroke, narrowing of arteries (atherosclerosis) and high blood pressure. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes.
Nerve damage (neuropathy)
Excess glucose can injure nerve fibers throughout the body. Diabetic neuropathy most often damages nerves in the legs and feet. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, weakness, pain and dulled sensation.
Kidney damage (nephropathy)
The kidneys filter waste from your blood. Diabetes and high blood pressure can damage the small blood vessels in the kidneys. Severe damage can lead to kidney failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Eye damage (retinopathy)
Diabetes affects the small blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye. Retinopathy causes the vessels to leak fluid or blood, distorting vision. Proliferative retinopathy involves the growth of abnormal new blood vessels that can bleed into the eye.
Foot damage
Nerve damage and reduced circulation in the feet increase the risk of various foot complications. Left untreated, cuts and blisters can become serious infections that ultimately require toe, foot or leg amputation.
Skin conditions
Bacterial and fungal infections can more easily take hold when high blood sugar levels impair your immune system. Some people also have itchy skin and darker, thick patches (called acanthosis nigricans).
Alzheimer’s disease
Having type 2 diabetes may increase your risk of later developing dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease or blood vessel disease in the brain. The higher risk appears tied to insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels.
Depression
Coping with diabetes can be stressful and lead to symptoms of depression, such as feeling overwhelmed, sad or hopeless. Other diabetic complications also increase the likelihood of depression.
How does ignoring early symptoms impact treatment?
Catching diabetes early gives you the best chance to avoid or delay complications. Failing to get diagnosed and treated means prolonged high blood sugar levels that progressively damage your body. The longer diabetes goes uncontrolled, the more challenging treatment becomes. Here’s how delaying treatment impacts various aspects of diabetes care:
Medications
If diabetes is caught early, lifestyle changes, metformin or other oral medications may be enough to normalize blood sugar levels. But after years of uncontrolled diabetes, many people eventually need insulin injections to manage blood sugar. Taking insulin is more demanding than taking oral medication.
Heart disease risk
Getting blood sugar under control soon after diagnosis can significantly lower the heightened risk of cardiovascular disease associated with diabetes. The longer diabetes remains uncontrolled, the higher the likelihood of heart attack, stroke and other complications.
Nerve damage
Timely treatment can prevent or delay the onset of diabetic nerve damage. But nerve damage that develops before diabetes is diagnosed may be irreversible. Symptoms may persist or grow worse even after blood sugar levels improve.
Eye disease
Like nerve disease, retinopathy that forms before diabetes is diagnosed can be difficult to reverse. But prompt treatment helps prevent vision loss from getting worse. Regular eye exams allow early detection and timely treatment of eye complications.
Kidney disease
Controlling blood sugar once you’re diagnosed with diabetes helps prevent kidney damage. But if kidney disease is already present by this point, the decline in kidney function may be unavoidable. Severe kidney disease often progresses to kidney failure despite treatment efforts.
What are warning signs diabetes is out of control?
After being diagnosed with diabetes, it’s essential to monitor your health to make sure blood sugar levels stay within target ranges. Tell your doctor if you experience the following warning signs that diabetes may be getting worse:
- Frequent thirst and urination return
- Fatigue and blurry vision persist
- Cuts and scrapes heal slowly
- Numbness or pain in the feet or legs
- Recurring infections or itchy skin
- Unexplained weight loss
- Lab tests showing high blood sugar levels
These symptoms mean your diabetes treatment plan needs adjustment. Your medication dosage may need to increase or change. Or you may need help identifying and addressing barriers to controlling your blood sugar.
Conclusion
Ignoring diabetes symptoms allows high blood sugar to silently wreak havoc on your body. From cardiovascular disease to vision loss, the complications can be disabling and even deadly. Getting diagnosed quickly and starting treatment early offers the best chance for good health. Pay attention to possible diabetes symptoms and see your doctor right away if they persist. Ongoing medical care and lifestyle changes can prevent progression of diabetes complications.