A Key to Early Diagnosis

Diabetes is said to be a “Silent Killer”, targeting all the major organs of the body, namely the Heart, the kidneys, the eyes, and the nervous system. It is usually diagnosed when one of these systems get affected and the patient becomes symptomatic. 

Here are the signs and symptoms which warrant immediate attention for early detection of diabetes. Remember that early diagnosis can extend lives and delay the onset of chronic complications of diabetes.

  1. Increased thirst and Excessive Urination. 
  2. Unexplained weight loss - Though commonly seen in Type 1 DM, it is also sometimes a feature of  Type 2 DM.
  3. Increased hunger and craving for food.
  4. Easy and chronic fatigue.
  5. Visual disturbances like blurry vision.
  6. Dry and scaly skin, itching. Causing a patient to scratch, leading to non-healing wounds.
  7. Recurrent fungal infections in the skin folds- Vagina, groin, nail beds, between the toes etc.
  8. Skin tags- especially around the neck. Those with diabetes may develop skin tags, but these growths also related to a number of other conditions and lifestyle factors.
Skin Tags around the neck
  • Slow healing of wounds- more commonly the extremities
  • Dark patches of Skin- Acanthosis Nigricans-neck, armpit, inside of elbows, groin, behind knees, knuckles. This is most common finding in the patients in the pre-diabetic stage. 
    • Acanthosis Nigricans as seen around the neck
    Acanthosis Nigricans as seen on the knuckles
  • Numbness and Tingling or pain in hands or feet.

    • Though these signs may individually be present in other conditions as well, they are fairly constant in Diabetics. People who find themselves affected by the above constellation of signs or symptoms must get themselves evaluated at the earliest for the onset of Diabetes. 

    Diabetes is a multifactorial disorder and cannot be prevented. But people at a higher risk of developing Diabetes, with its early diagnosis, would be able to manage the disease timely, preventing its chronic complications, decreasing the morbidity, and thus improving the quality of their lives.