Diabetes is a very serious illness, if it’s caught early enough you can help lessen the complications. Learn these borderline diabetes symptoms to look out for.
Diabetes develops over time. If you catch it late, the complications can often be severe. But catching symptoms of diabetes early on can lessen these complications considerably. But what are borderline diabetes symptoms?
According to experts, these symptoms are very easy to miss. If you’re not looking out for them, it will be easy for you to ignore them. Here are some borderline diabetes symptoms for you to look out for.
When should I be looking out for borderline diabetes symptoms?
If you’re concerned, you should always be looking out for these symptoms. But people who are at risk for diabetes should be particularly vigilant.
These people include:
- People with a family history of diabetes
- People who are overweight
- Those who don’t eat healthy foods
- Physically inactive people
- Older people
- People with high blood pressure
These are just a few people who should be extra cautious about having diabetes. But there is still much research being done, especially with type 1 diabetes, so if you have any concerns, it’s better to be cautious.
What are some borderline diabetes symptoms?
There are some symptoms that might signal borderline diabetes. However, it’s important to note that while you may have some of these borderline diabetes symptoms, it’s also just as likely that you don’t show any symptoms at all. If your doctor is concerned, even if you’re showing none of these symptoms, please defer to their opinion. That said, these are some borderline diabetes symptoms you may experience:
Darkened Skin
If you’re suffering from borderline diabetes, some patches of skin may appear darker than usual. These patches may appear on your neck, armpits, elbows, knees, or knuckles. Checking these spots should be your first step if you are concerned that you might have diabetes.
Skin conditions caused by diabetes are usually treatable, and this particular skin condition (acanthosis nigricans) is most likely to occur in people who are overweight. Losing weight is the best way to treat this, although some creams help.
If you notice dark patches like this on your skin, that is a sign that you should be tested for borderline diabetes. Catching it quickly enough could make all the difference.
Increased Thirst
Some borderline diabetic people may experience extreme thirst as a symptom. While this is often a symptom of diabetes that has progressed, it happens slowly, so you may be able to spot it in the borderline stage if you are aware of it.
This happens because people with diabetes have trouble pulling glucose out of the water from their kidneys. This is part of what causes dehydration and makes you feel more thirsty, as your body isn’t processing water like it normally does.
This same symptom might also cause frequent urination, which is only made worse by the fact that you’re likely drinking more water to compensate for your thirst. If you notice that you have a thirst that is gradually getting worse, that is a sign that borderline diabetes might be progressing.
Tiredness
Feeling more tired than usual is also a borderline diabetes symptom. Fatigue is a common symptom of high or low blood sugar levels, so if you find yourself getting inexplicably tired during the day, this may be the cause.
If your blood sugar is high, your system gets overloaded. If it’s low, it simply doesn’t have enough to work with. Both can cause fatigue. Fatigue can be an annoyance, but it can also be very dangerous. Fatigue can make you fall asleep behind the wheel of a car, or cause or worsen depression because you know something is off but you can’t figure out why. If you’re suffering from this regularly, it is very important to bring it up with your doctor. Even if it isn’t a borderline diabetes symptom, it is probably a symptom of something.
Blurry Vision
Eye damage is common for people who suffer from diabetes. However, it can also be a symptom of borderline diabetes.
High blood sugar levels make blood get thicker. This makes it harder for your eyes to focus because the thick blood is pulling in more fluid from surrounding areas, including the lens of your eye. If your vision is blurring with no discernable cause, this may be a sign of borderline diabetes. It’s important to get tested as soon as possible to ensure that you catch it before it worsens.
In the prediabetes stage, it might be easier to ignore. But if you wait until it gets worse, you will likely already be suffering from diabetes itself. Catching it early can make sure that you don’t wind up with irreversible damage done to your eyes.
Gum Inflammation
Gum inflammation is the final borderline diabetes symptom you should be looking out for.
There are several complications from diabetes that can cause gum disease. This includes changes in blood vessels and bacteria. In diabetics, this can cause serious complications in their oral health. But just as diabetes develops over time, so does its symptoms. So if you’re looking out for them, you may just catch them early.
If you notice that your gums are tender, bleed more easily when you brush them, or look red or inflamed, this can be a sign of borderline diabetes. You should schedule a doctor’s appointment and get tested as soon as possible.
What should I do if I have these symptoms?
The obvious advice is to go to your doctor. If you notice any of these symptoms, it’s important to get checked right away. But in addition to this, it is also important to be informed. Prediabetes does not just mean “before diabetes.” It is not something that will just go away on its own. It is going to take work to keep yourself healthy.
There are many sources you can go to learn more about diabetes and how to keep yourself healthy with borderline diabetes. If you’re interested in learning more, check out our blog. If you’re experiencing any symptoms, we want to provide you with the knowledge you need.