Health 02/03/2025 15:26

9 Early Signs of Diabetes You Shouldn't Ignore

Diabetes is a health condition characterized by high blood sugar levels. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it affects around 11% of the American population, which is around 37.3 million individuals. The early signs of diabetes often go undetected or dismissed as minor health issues. However, early diagnosis and treatment of diabetes are crucial, so it’s important to know which early signs to look out for. In this article, we will explore nine of these early signs of diabetes.

Skin Tags

Skin tags are harmless skin growths that can form on any part of your body. Some are firmly attached to the skin, whereas others hang from a tiny stalk. These growths are medically known as acrochordons. These skin tags are found all over the body, but most often on the underarms, groin, neck, and eyelashes. They are typically regarded as benign, but they could also indicate underlying health conditions such as type 2 diabetes. It’s always best to visit a doctor so that they can find out what is causing the tags to appear.

The Appearance of Small Bumps

Those with diabetes may also potentially experience elevated triglyceride levels. Triglyceride is a kind of fat that circulates in the bloodstream. Elevated levels of this fat can result in small bumps appearing on your skin, a condition called eruptive xanthomatosis. For individuals with lighter skin tones, these bumps will often appear yellowish in color. They can also appear grayish in color in individuals with darker skin tones. These bumps typically appear in areas such as your thighs, buttocks, knees, and elbows. However, they can appear anywhere and tend to be itchy and tender to the touch.

Feeling Unusually Drained

It’s perfectly normal to feel tired every now and then, especially after busy periods with little rest. However, the feeling of being tired usually goes away after a bit of rest. Fatigue is something else completely and you feel drained the whole time, even if you have rested. Experiencing fatigue is a common sign of both type 1 and 2 diabetes. There are several reasons that diabetes causes fatigue, such as being overweight, side effects of diabetes medication, and changes in blood sugar levels.

Dark Patches of Skin

One of the early signs of prediabetes and diabetes is dark patches of skin on the armpits, groin, and neck that feel velvety to the touch. While it may at first appear as if something external may have discolored your skin, you will notice that no amount of scrubbing will get rid of the patches. This condition is called acanthosis nigricans, and it is not contagious. While many individuals without any underlying health issues get this condition too, it is often a sign of an undiagnosed medical condition, such as prediabetes or diabetes. Since it is often linked to insulin resistance, it’s best to have it checked out by a doctor.

Feeling Thirsty and Needing to Urinate the Whole Time

Some of the early signs of diabetes include always feeling thirsty and needing to urinate the whole time. When your blood sugar rises, your kidneys are forced to work harder to try to filter and absorb all the excess glucose. If the kidneys become overwhelmed by the workload, the excess glucose exits the body through the urine. Fluids are drawn from the body through this process, resulting in dehydration, which is why you feel thirsty.