Doctor shares five symptoms of type 2 diabetes – one isn't usually 'associated' with disease

From getsurrey.co.uk

Dr Amir Khan has shared five symptoms of type 2 diabetes to watch out for, including one that people might not ordinarily attribute to this common health condition

Diabetes is a very common health condition that causes a person's blood sugar to become too high, which can lead to an array of health issues. Diabetes UK estimates a staggering 5.8million people nationwide have the condition, the vast majority of whom will have type 2.

While 4.6million people are diagnosed with the disease, the charity believes as many as 1.3million people may be living with type 2 diabetes without realising. Now, Dr Amir Khan – a GP who regularly promotes healthy living both online and on TV – has shared five warning signs that may appear in those who have the disease.

"Type 2 diabetes is a complex condition where your insulin doesn't work as well as it should do to keep your blood sugars in check," he explained in a TikTok video. He added that those who develop the condition may do so for a number of reasons linked to genetics and lifestyle.

Here are the five possible symptoms of type 2 diabetes Dr Khan believes people should be aware of.

Feeling tired all the time

"This is the most common symptom I see," the celebrity GP began. "Because your body's insulin isn't working as it should to release energy from your sugars, your body will look for other energy sources such as your protein and fat stores.

"These are harder to break down and you don't have as much energy in them, so you end up feeling tired."

Frequent infections

"If you're not using those sugars, something else will," Dr Khan warned. He stressed pathogens and bugs could use the sugars in diabetes sufferers' bodies to thrive, making them more prone to coughs and sneezes or even more serious conditions.

"Whether it's urinary tract infections, thrush or skin infections, these bugs love sugars to feed off and they thrive." The doctor also explained that high blood sugar can make your immune system less effective.

Needing to pee frequently

"If your blood sugars are persistently high, your body will try to lower this by making you go to the loo to pee out those excess sugars," Dr Khan explained.

However, he warned, this also leads to a loss of fluid, which can cause diabetes sufferers to notice another symptom – dehydration.

Unintentional weight loss

Dr Khan stressed that many people do not associate weight loss with diabetes – in fact, the opposite may be true. "Lots of people associate type 2 diabetes with being overweight," he said.

"Although that is a risk factor, when your sugars are high and your insulin isn't working to break them down and bring [sugar levels] down, your body starts breaking down those fats and proteins, as I talked about earlier, and you can end up with unexplained weight loss."

Nerve pain

"We call this peripheral neuropathy," Dr Khan said. "It usually causes tingling, burning or painful sensations in your toes and feet."

Dr Khan explained high levels of sugar can damage "those tiny little nerves" in the toes, as well as the blood vessels in those areas. "That makes it harder for them to carry proper nerve impulses," he added.

The NHS lists the symptoms of diabetes as: feeling very thirsty; peeing more frequently than usual, particularly at night; feeling very tired; weight loss and loss of muscle bulk; itching around the penis or vagina, or frequent episodes of thrush; and blurred vision.

Noticing any of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have diabetes. If you're worried, it's important to see a doctor.

https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/health/amir-khan-shares-five-symptoms-31012586