The signs and symptoms of diabetes are related to high glucose levels (hyperglycemia), temporarily low glucose levels (hypoglycemia), and to complications associated with diabetes.  People who think they might have diabetes must visit a physician for diagnosis. They might have SOME or NONE of the following symptoms:

Symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes with hyperglycemia:

• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Increased appetite (with type 1 weight loss is also seen)
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain (especially in children)
• Blurred vision
• Slow-healing infections
• Numbness, tingling, and pain in the feet
• Erectile dysfunction in men
• Absence of menstruation in women
• Rapid breathing (acute)
• Decreased consciousness, coma (acute)

Nausea, vomiting, or stomach pains may accompany some of these symptoms in the abrupt onset of insulin-dependent diabetes, now called type 1 diabetes.

Symptoms of impending hypoglycemia:

Temporary hypoglycemia in the diabetic may be caused by the accidental injection of too much insulin, not eating enough or waiting too long to eat, exercising strenuously, or by the swings in glucose levels seen with “brittle” diabetes.  Hypoglycemia needs to be addressed as soon as it is noticed; it can rapidly progress to unconsciousness. Symptoms include:

• Sudden severe hunger
• Headache
• Anxiety
• Sweating
• Confusion
• Trembling
• Weakness
• Double vision
• Convulsions
• Coma