Possible diabetes symptoms and when to test
Diabetes can be silent, gradual or first noticed through complications.
Understanding diabetes warning signs
Diabetes develops when the body does not make enough effective insulin, the hormone that allows glucose (sugar) from food to move out of the blood and into cells for energy, or when the body cannot use the insulin it makes properly. Glucose then builds up in the blood instead. In type 2 diabetes, by far the more common form in adults, this usually happens gradually over years, which is why warning signs can be easy to miss or explain away. Symptoms alone can never confirm diabetes — only a proper blood test can — but recognising the pattern is what prompts people to get tested in the first place.
Some people have no symptoms at all and are only found to have diabetes through a routine blood test or screening at another appointment. Others notice symptoms gradually building over months. A smaller number become unwell quite quickly, particularly with very high glucose levels — this pattern needs urgent, not routine, attention.
What you may notice
These are common early clues, useful for putting your own experience into words for a clinician — not a checklist for diagnosing yourself:
- ●Increased thirst, or a dry mouth that water does not seem to fix
- ●Passing urine more often than usual, including waking at night to urinate
- ●Unexpected tiredness or low energy that persists
- ●Blurred vision that comes and goes
- ●Wounds, cuts or infections that heal more slowly than expected
- ●Repeated infections, such as skin, urinary or fungal infections
- ●Unexplained weight loss, or in some cases weight gain
- ●Numbness, tingling or a burning feeling in the feet or hands
- ●Increased hunger, even shortly after eating
Many of these symptoms overlap with other, less serious causes, which is exactly why testing rather than guessing matters — the only way to tell the difference is a blood test.
Is this an emergency?
Right now
- Confusion, drowsiness or reduced consciousness
- Persistent vomiting or an inability to keep fluids down
- Marked dehydration, very fast breathing, or breath with an unusual sweet smell
- Collapse
- A child or adult who is becoming rapidly more unwell
Go to the nearest emergency department immediately — do not drive yourself. Call Cardiocare's 24/7 emergency line on +234 806 142 4614 (staffed around the clock) to tell us you are coming. A very unwell person should never wait for a routine diabetes appointment.
Call Cardiocare 24/7Book this week
Arrange testing within days if you notice several of the symptoms above persisting, especially increased thirst and urination together with tiredness or blurred vision.
Routine review
If you have risk factors for diabetes but no symptoms, routine screening at your next check-up is appropriate — diabetes is often silent in its early stages.
What causes these symptoms
Diabetes symptoms come directly from glucose building up in the blood and, over time, from its effects on other organs.
High blood glucose itself
Excess glucose in the blood draws water out of tissues and into urine, explaining the classic combination of thirst and frequent urination; the body also struggles to use glucose for energy properly, contributing to tiredness.
Effects on the eyes and nerves
High glucose can temporarily change the shape of the lens in the eye, causing blurred vision that improves once glucose is controlled; over a longer time, it can also affect the small nerves in the feet and hands, causing numbness or tingling.
Effects on healing and infection
High glucose impairs the body's ability to fight infection and heal wounds efficiently, which is why slow-healing cuts and repeated infections are common warning signs.
Who is more likely to develop diabetes
- ●A family history of diabetes
- ●Excess weight, particularly around the waist
- ●High blood pressure
- ●Low physical activity levels
- ●A previous diagnosis of gestational (pregnancy-related) diabetes, or a large baby at birth
- ●Increasing age
- ●Abnormal cholesterol levels
What happens if this goes untested and untreated
Diabetes that remains unrecognised and untreated does not stay confined to blood glucose — it gradually affects several organs.
Heart and blood vessels. Persistently high glucose damages artery walls, raising the risk of heart attack, stroke and poor circulation to the legs.
Kidneys. Diabetes is one of the most common causes of gradual kidney damage, often silent until advanced.
Eyes. Long-standing high glucose can damage the retina, potentially affecting vision if unrecognised.
Nerves and feet. Nerve damage can reduce sensation in the feet, allowing injuries to go unnoticed and heal poorly — a combination that can lead to serious foot problems.
Severe acute illness. Very high glucose, especially if unrecognised, can lead to serious dehydration and a dangerous build-up of acid in the blood, needing emergency treatment.
How Cardiocare investigates it
Confirming diabetes and assessing its impact draws on a small number of straightforward tests:
- 01History and examination. Symptoms, how long they have been present, family history and a general examination.
- 02Laboratory glucose testing. A blood test measuring glucose directly, sometimes repeated or done after fasting for accuracy.
- 03HbA1c. A blood test reflecting average glucose over the preceding weeks to months, useful where appropriate.
- 04Blood pressure, kidney and cholesterol review. Because diabetes rarely travels alone, these are checked together with glucose.
- 05Foot and nerve assessment. A simple examination checking sensation and circulation in the feet.
- 06Eye assessment. Screening for early changes in the retina, arranged as part of ongoing care.
How diabetes is treated once confirmed
Treatment is individualised, but generally combines the following:
Lifestyle measures
Sustainable changes to eating pattern, regular activity and, where relevant, weight management are foundational, often making a meaningful difference on their own or alongside medicine.
Medicines, by class
Where medicine is needed, several classes are available and your clinician will discuss which suits you:
- ●Glucose-lowering tablets — work in different ways to bring blood glucose down
- ●Insulin — replaces or supplements the body's own insulin, given by injection, for people who need it
- ●Blood pressure and cholesterol medicines — protect the heart, kidneys and eyes alongside glucose control
Do not borrow medicine
Diabetes medicine, including insulin, is dosed for the individual — taking another person's medicine, or their exact dose, can be dangerous rather than helpful.
Living well after diagnosis: everyday self-care
- ✓Arrange proper testing rather than guessing based on symptoms alone
- ✓Take medicines consistently and attend follow-up even once you feel well
- ✓Check your feet regularly for cuts, blisters or wounds
- ✓Build meals around vegetables, fibre and appropriate portions of familiar staples
- ✓Stay physically active in ways that are safe and enjoyable for you
- ✓Bring family history and, where relevant, previous pregnancy-related glucose results to your appointment
Preparing for your appointment
What to bring
- ✓A note of your symptoms and how long you have noticed them
- ✓Family history of diabetes, if known
- ✓Any previous glucose results, including from pregnancy
- ✓Your HMO card or payment details
- ✓A valid means of identification
What we will ask
Your symptoms and how long you have had them, family history, previous glucose or pregnancy-related test results, and other conditions such as high blood pressure.
Questions worth asking us
- ●What do my results mean?
- ●Do I have diabetes, or am I at risk of developing it?
- ●What follow-up will I need for my heart, kidneys, eyes and feet?
- ●What should I do if I notice new symptoms before my next visit?