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Healthy Living: Diabetes Warning Signs1

Linda B. Bobroff 2

Figure 1. Extreme fatigue can be a sign of high blood glucose (sugar). If you checked one or more of the warning signs, get your blood checked to see if you have diabetes or prediabetes.
Figure 1.  Extreme fatigue can be a sign of high blood glucose (sugar). If you checked one or more of the warning signs, get your blood checked to see if you have diabetes or prediabetes.
Credit: nebari/iStock/Thinkstock.com

Could you have diabetes and not know it? It is possible. More than one-fourth of the people who have diabetes don't know they have the disease! This is a concern because if you have diabetes but are not getting treatment, you are at high risk for health complications, such as heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, and amputations.

Treating and managing diabetes greatly decreases the risk of these health problems. It also allows people with diabetes to have the energy to do things they enjoy.

All adults 45 years of age and older should be tested for diabetes. If you have one of the warning signs of high blood glucose, see your health care provider as soon as possible. Review the list of warning signs below and check any that you have experienced.

Warning Signs of High Blood Glucose

  • Constant thirst or hunger

  • Need to urinate often

  • Unexplained weight loss

  • Dry, itchy skin

  • Blurry vision

  • Numb or tingling hands or feet

  • Infections that take long to heal

  • Fatigue

If you checked any of the warning signs, contact your doctor right away. You may not have diabetes, but you need to be tested to find out for sure.

For more information about diabetes, call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Reliable information is available online at these sites:

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes

https://medlineplus.gov/diabetes.html

https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/home/index.html

Footnotes

1. This document is FCS8577, one of a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date April 2000. Revised August 2006, August 2010, July 2014, and September 2017. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
2. Linda B. Bobroff, PhD, RDN, professor and Extension nutrition specialist, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

Also Available in: Español

Publication #FCS8577

Release Date:September 28, 2017

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Bobroff, Linda B.

Specialist/SSA/RSA

University of Florida

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