Yes, you can absolutely have diabetes, especially type 2, and not know it for years because symptoms are often subtle, develop slowly, or are mistaken for normal aging, fatigue, or lifestyle issues, leading to significant silent damage before diagnosis. Many people have no symptoms in the early stages, with some only finding out after serious complications like a heart attack or stroke occur.
People with type 2 diabetes can have no symptoms for a long time. The signs often appear slowly over a few years, so some people don't realise they have it. It's often found during a check-up.
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Warning Signs and Symptoms
However, in the early stages of undiagnosed diabetes, excess sugar in the bloodstream may damage sensitive vessels in the eyes, causing blurred vision. Numbness in extremities. Also known as neuropathy, tingling sensations in the hands and feet can be early warning signs for diabetes.
Five common signs of prediabetes include increased thirst/urination, constant fatigue, blurry vision, dark skin patches (acanthosis nigricans), and slow-healing cuts or frequent infections, though prediabetes often has no noticeable symptoms, making early detection key. These signs often signal higher blood sugar levels, indicating your body isn't using insulin effectively.
Three common signs of diabetes are increased thirst and frequent urination, extreme tiredness, and blurry vision or slow-healing sores, often stemming from high blood sugar levels affecting the body. These symptoms, sometimes called the "Three Ps" (polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia), can develop slowly in Type 2 diabetes or quickly in Type 1.
Many conditions that mimic diabetes, such as PCOS, hypothyroidism, and Cushing's syndrome, share insulin resistance as a defining feature. The most common cause of insulin resistance is obesity.
Many people with diabetes have peripheral artery disease (PAD), which reduces blood flow to the feet. Also, many people with diabetes have neuropathy, causing you to not feel your feet. Together, these problems make it easy to get ulcers and infections that may lead to amputation.
Type 2 diabetes symptoms often take several years to develop. Some people don't notice any symptoms at all. Type 2 diabetes usually starts when you're an adult, though more and more children and teens are developing it. Because symptoms are hard to spot, it's important to know the risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
The “three-hour rule” for rapid-acting insulin (aka "Insulin Stacking") Rapid-acting insulin begins to work about 15 minutes after injection, peaks in about 1 hour, and continues to work for 2 to 4 hours. The three-hour rule prevents “insulin stacking” and a low blood glucose (BG) or hypoglycemia.
Symptoms of hyperglycaemia
According to its proponents, you use the pinch method by holding the thumb and index finger of one hand just above the wrist of the other hand and then exerting a little bit of pressure on the wrist. Doing this will supposedly cause the release of insulin and break down glucose.
Changes in blood sugar can cause rapid changes in mood and other mental symptoms such as fatigue, trouble thinking clearly, and anxiety. Having diabetes can cause a condition called diabetes distress which shares some traits of stress, depression and anxiety.
High blood sugar can damage blood vessels in the eyes, which can cause diabetic retinopathy and eventually blindness. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults ages 20-74, according to the National Eye Institute. Uncontrolled diabetes also can lead to glaucoma and cataracts.
Type 2 diabetes is caused by the cells' inability to respond to insulin signaling. It is a metabolic disorder that results in high blood sugar levels and is the most prevalent type of diabetes. It is often associated with weight gain, especially in the abdomen.
Why does diabetes cause pain in your feet? When you have diabetes, high blood sugar levels can damage nerves and blood vessels. The nerves and blood vessels supplying the feet are long and delicate. Because of that, the feet — and especially the toes — often get affected first.
Diabetic nails may look thickened, yellowish, brittle, or have an unusual shape. This is often due to reduced blood flow to the extremities and nerve damage, also known as peripheral neuropathy, which affects the feet.
Over time, high blood sugar can injure nerves throughout the body. Diabetic neuropathy most often damages nerves in the legs and feet. Depending on the affected nerves, diabetic neuropathy symptoms may include pain and numbness in the legs, feet and hands.
Ten key warning signs of diabetes include increased thirst and urination, extreme hunger, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing sores, unexplained weight loss, tingling/numbness in hands or feet, frequent infections, and sometimes dark skin patches (acanthosis nigricans), all indicating high blood sugar levels needing medical attention.
Losing weight can reverse type 2 diabetes, but is rarely achieved or recorded. Type 2 diabetes is generally perceived as progressive and incurable, but for many patients it can be reversed with sustained weight loss of around 15 kg, say experts in The BMJ today.
Diabetes often starts with mild symptoms such as feeling very hungry and tired, needing to pee a lot, being very thirsty, having a dry mouth, itchy skin, and blurry vision. Type 1 diabetes symptoms appear quickly and are more severe, while type 2 symptoms develop slowly.
Red flag signs of diabetes symptoms
Feeling extremely hungry or thirsty. Feelings similar to drunkenness. Unusual behaviors, which may also indicate low blood sugar. Infections, bloody or swollen gums, or foot sores.
The 4 Ps of diabetes – polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, and sometimes a fourth P – are key signs of high blood sugar. These symptoms have been known for centuries as signs of diabetes mellitus. Learning about the history of these symptoms helps us understand their importance.
Physical symptoms: reduced activity, low energy, tiredness, decreased physical endurance, increased effort to do physical tasks, general weakness, heaviness, slowness or sluggishness, nonrestorative sleep, and sleepiness.