Type 2 Diabetes: Symptoms
Not everyone with type 2 diabetes has symptoms, particularly in the early stages of the disease. In fact, one-third of the over 18 million Americans with type 2 diabetes are unaware that they have the disease.1
Type 2 diabetes symptoms may include one or more of the following:
- Excessive thirst
- Frequent urination
- Extreme hunger
- Unexplained weight loss
- Fatigue, or a feeling of being "run down" and tired
- Rapid breathing
- Blurred vision
- Dry, itchy skin
- Headache
- Tingling or burning pain in the feet, legs, hands, or other parts of the body
- High blood pressure
- Mood swings
- Irritability, depression
- Frequent or recurring infections, such as urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and skin infections
- Slow healing of cuts and bruises
Unlike type 1 diabetes, which frequently has a sudden onset of symptoms and reaches a crisis point before diagnosis is made, the signs of type 2 diabetes may be gradual and more insidious. Often, the first symptoms that people with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes experience are those from complications of the disease, such as blurry vision (retinopathy) or foot pain (neuropathy).
If you’re experiencing any of the type 2 diabetes symptoms, please contact your healthcare provider immediately for medical evaluation.
SOURCE:National Institutes of Health. One Third of Diabetes Sufferers Unaware of Having the Disease. (Accessed 2/11/08).
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