Hey guys, you are probably here, as you want to know all about the signs and symptoms of
type 2 diabetes. Well I'm going to give you all of that information. We're going to go
through the signs and symptoms, we're gonna go through the risk factors and when to seek
medical attention. This is going to be quite a long video so if at any point you want any
specific information feel free to click on that description below. I've timestamped it,
find the relevant information you want and click on it or just watch the full video.
Now lets begin. Ok So let’s start with, What is Type 2 diabetes?
In short, Type 2 diabetes is a common condition and more common than Type 1, it usually occurs
in adults and is associated with obesity. Type 2 diabetes is where the body has a reduced
ability to regulate and use sugar as a fuel. And the main cause of this, is when the pancreas
starts to produce less insulin or when the insulin in the body becomes less effective.
Insulin is a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into your cells.
This chronic condition results in too much sugar circulating in the bloodstream and long-term
uncontrolled blood sugar can lead to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, certain types
of cancers and sight loss. All these risks can also lead to significant nerve and kidney
damage. Type 2 diabetes is more common in older adults,
but the increase in the number of children with obesity has led to more cases of type
2 diabetes in younger people. At the moment there is no cure for type 2
diabetes, but losing weight, eating well and exercising can help you manage the disease.
If diet and exercise aren't enough to manage your blood sugar, you may also need diabetes
medicines or insulin therapy. For more details on this, check out my other
video on diabetes. Before we look at the common signs of Type
2 diabetes, here are some stats. Did you know that more than 4.8 million people in the UK
have diabetes, this is equal to 1 in every 14 people which means someone is diagnosed
with diabetes every two minutes. Now this is a scary figure but what's even
scarier is that more people than ever in history have diabetes and more people are at a higher
risk of type 2 diabetes in particular. This is due to the fact that in the modern
world, lifestyles aren’t great, bad diets with lots of sugars and fats as well as inactive
daily routines. Basically, pretty unhealthy. As more people around the world adopt western
lifestyle habits, this has led to an increase in obesity and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes.
I will go into more detail about risk factors later in the video.
Now, there is a challenge with type 2 diabetes as the early signs are not always noticeable,
also many people do not have symptoms and can go undiagnosed for many years.
Because the symptoms develop slowly it is important to recognise the early signs. These
are some of the common early symptoms people may experience:
First, one of the most common, frequent urination – also referred to as polyuria, which is
caused when blood sugar levels are high, the kidneys try to remove the excess sugar by
filtering it out of the blood. This can lead to the need to urinate more frequently, especially
at night. Almost always associated with urination is
the feeling of being more thirsty - now because of the frequent urination that is needed to
remove the sugar from the blood, this can result in the body losing more water than
usual. Overtime this can cause dehydration and lead to you feeling more thirsty than
usual. This is also referred to as polydipsia. Moving onto the next common symptom - Always
feeling hungry - people with type 2 diabetes often do not get enough energy from the food
that they eat. The reason for this, is the digestive system breaks the food down into
simple sugars called glucose. This is used as fuel in the body, however for people with
type 2 diabetes not enough of this sugar moves around the bloodstream and gets into the body
cells. Because of this people with type 2 diabetes often feel constantly hungry.
These first 3 symptoms are the top 3 early signs which are also known as ‘the 3Ps of
diabetes’: Polydipsia (increased thirst), Polyuria (increased urination) and Polyphagia
(increased appetite) The 3 P's are usually a good indication that
blood sugar levels may be too high. If you spot any of these signs, it is best to visit
your GP or speak to a healthcare professional if you have any concerns.
There are some other signs and symptoms to look out for too. These are:
Feeling very tired – the cause of feeling more tired than usual is like the reason why
you may always feel hungry. This is because of insufficient sugar moving from the bloodstream
into the body’s cells. Another sign to look out for is blurry vision
– due to the high amounts of sugar in the blood, this can damage tiny blood vessels,
especially ones in the eyes. The blurry vision may occur in one or both eyes. If this is
spotted during your regular eye check-up, your optometrist may advise you to speak to
your doctor. If the blood sugar remains uncontrolled, permanent
sight loss may eventually occur. So, it’s always best to keep an ‘eye’ on this symptom
– pun intended. Moving onto one that isn’t as common is
- Slow healing of cuts – as we already know, high amounts of sugar in the blood can damage
blood vessels, it can also damage the nerves too. All of this can affect the blood circulation
which makes the healing of cuts or wounds take longer. Slow wound healing can also increase
the risk of infections. Another sign that is simple to spot is tingling,
numbness or pain in the hands or feet – with high blood sugars affecting the blood circulation,
damaging nerves and blood vessels, this can lead
to pain or numbness in the hands and feet. This is known as neuropathy, and if left untreated
can get worse over time. Itchy skin is a pretty common sign – this
occurs when there is more sugar in the blood and urine, this can be the ideal environment
for yeast and other microbes to thrive. This leads to increased infections in the warm,
moist areas of the skin. Symptoms to look out for, in addition to itching, are burning,
redness and soreness in areas such as the mouth, genital region and armpits.
Moving onto the final sign to look out for - Sudden weight loss or muscle mass loss – this
is linked to the lack of sugar moving from the bloodstream into the body’s cells and
instead passing straight through with increased urination. This means that the body cannot
use the nutrients consumed in food, leading to weight loss.
Just remember that these are the most common signs and symptoms to look out for and that
having any of these symptoms doesn't mean you definitely have diabetes, but they are
all signs that may need to be investigated further by a healthcare professional.
Please check out the description below for a full list and links to websites with further
information. So, now that you know the main signs and symptoms,
I thought I’d finish with explaining the risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Anyone can
develop type 2 diabetes, but certain factors can increase the risk. These risk factors
include: Being 45 years of age or older, living a sedentary
lifestyle – meaning a lifestyle with lots of sitting or lying down and very little exercise,
being overweight or obese, eating an unhealthy diet, having a family history of diabetes,
having polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), having a medical history of gestational diabetes,
heart disease, or stroke and having prediabetes. It is important that if you have any of the
signs we’ve talked about in this video, please go speak to a healthcare professional
or visit your GP. Remember those signs include: frequent urination,
feeling more thirsty, increased appetite, feeling very tired, blurry vision, slow healing
of cuts, prolonged numbness or pain in the hands and feet, itchy skin and sudden weight
loss. Recognising the early signs of type 2 diabetes
can allow you to get a diagnosis and treatment sooner. Getting the right treatment, making
lifestyle changes, and controlling blood sugar levels can greatly improve your health and
quality of life and reduce the risk of complications later in life.
If you want to find out further information about type 2 diabetes, you can always check
out patient organisations: Diabetes UK or the American Diabetes Association. These links
and others are in the description below. That my friends is the end of this weeks video
thank you for watching. You now know everything you need to know about the signs and symptoms
of diabetes the risk factors, what it is and what to do about it. Always remember you're
awesome and I will see you next week.