More than half of people don't know they have diabetes! Be alert to these key signals

1 in 10 people in the world has diabetes and 1 person dies from diabetes every 5 seconds.

However, data from a recent epidemiological survey on the mainland showed that 51.7% of diabetic patients in China were undiagnosed.

In other words, more than half of the Chinese people do not know that they have diabetes.

Diabetes, a chronic disease known as the "sweet killer", is quietly invading the health of hundreds of millions of people.

This article will reveal how insidious diabetes can be, and how to detect and prevent it early by observing subtle changes in your body.

01 Insidious nature of diabetes

What kind of disease is the most terrifying?

Some people say it's cancer, an incurable disease. In fact, most cancers can be cured if detected early, and even some types of cancer, even if they are detected relatively late, will not have a big impact on the prognosis, such as "thyroid cancer", which is a well-known "lazy cancer", even if it is not treated, it rarely metastasizes.

Some say it's AIDS, which is highly contagious and has a high mortality rate. But AIDS is an infectious disease that is easily preventable because it can only be transmitted through sexual contact, blood, and mother-to-child, and for most people, infection can be prevented by keeping themselves clean.

The most terrible thing in the world is the "unknown".

Before you realize it, you are already "riddled with diseases", which is the most powerless thing!

Diabetes mellitus is one such disease.

There was no obvious discomfort in the body, but the blood sugar was "silently" high. Many people with diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, have experienced this when they are first diagnosed with diabetes.

They often check that their fasting blood sugar is high during the physical examination, and they go to the specialist clinic to find out that they have diabetes, and since then they have become a member of the "little sugar man".

What's even more terrifying is the people who have never had regular medical check-ups.

For example, middle-aged and elderly people in rural areas. They often have poor economic conditions, coupled with weak health awareness, there is no concept of "regular physical examination", and they usually have a slight discomfort and like to "drag", until there is an obvious abnormality, or even complications, before going to the hospital for treatment, and finally found that it is all caused by diabetes.

Chronic diseases have a characteristic: early treatment is "twice the result with half the effort", and later treatment is "twice the result with half the effort".

When it comes to complications, it is often a lot of money that is spent, but no good treatment results are obtained, which is regrettable.

There is another characteristic of diabetes called "heterogeneity". That is to say, they are all diabetes, and the symptoms and blood sugar characteristics of each "sugar person" are different.

For example, some people have elevated fasting blood sugar. In this case, it is easy to find out in an ordinary physical examination, because the physical examination package has an item of "fasting blood sugar".

In some people, blood sugar is predominantly elevated after a meal, and in the early stages, fasting blood sugar may be normal. If this is the case, it is not easy to detect during a routine physical examination. Many people have physical examinations every year, but fail to diagnose early, which is related to this characteristic of diabetes.

For high-risk groups with diabetes, in addition to routine physical blood glucose checks, it is best to do a "glucose tolerance test" to avoid missing the diagnosis.

02 Warning signs of diabetes

Although the early symptoms of diabetes are not obvious, they are not "untraceable". In addition to regular check-ups and timely detection of abnormalities in blood sugar, there are still some "key signs" that, once present, may be an early warning of diabetes:

1. Frequent thirst and frequent urination: High blood sugar can cause the body to try to get rid of excess sugar by increasing the amount of urine, which can cause thirst and frequent urination, if this condition persists for a long time, be vigilant and it is best to go to the hospital for a check-up.
2. Increased fatigue: Glucose in the blood is the body's main source of energy. When this glucose is not used effectively, it causes blood sugar to rise. The lack of energy in the human body can lead to a constant feeling of fatigue.
3. Increased appetite: Food is digested through the gastrointestinal tract and converted into glucose, which is not used efficiently by the body, resulting in a lack of energy, and the brain produces a feeling of hunger, resulting in an abnormal increase in appetite to encourage us to consume more food.
4. Weight loss: Weight loss caused by chronic energy deficit. If you have recently experienced significant weight loss and cannot find the cause, it may be a sign of diabetes, especially if it is accompanied by several of the above symptoms, you should be highly vigilant.
5. The above 4 points are what we often call the "three more and one less" symptoms: polydipsia, polyphagia, polyuria and weight loss, which are typical symptoms of diabetes. In addition to this, there are several signals to look out for:
6. Mood swings: Diabetic patients have a reduced ability to regulate blood sugar, blood sugar is not only easy to rise, but also easy to decrease when hungry, high blood sugar and low blood sugar will lead to physical discomfort, which will affect the mood, resulting in anxiety or irritability.
7. Blurred vision: High blood sugar may cause changes in the refractive index of the lens of the eye, causing blurred vision, and long-term high blood sugar can also lead to lesions in the fundus, causing diabetic retinopathy, resulting in blurred vision.
8. However, it is important to note that some of the above key signals are typical, some are mild, and some are not. Whether you have diabetes mellitus or not, or fasting and postprandial blood glucose are the main diagnostic criteria.

03 Prevention and early detection

To prevent diabetes, we need to adopt an active lifestyle, including a healthy diet, regular exercise, and regular check-ups. Here are some tips to prevent diabetes:

1. Eat a balanced diet: Choose whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits as staple foods and reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates and foods high in sugar.
2. Regular exercise: Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day, such as brisk walking, swimming, or cycling.
3. Regular physical examination: For high-risk groups, it is recommended to have an annual examination of blood glucose-related indicators, including fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, and oral glucose tolerance test.
4. Quit smoking and limit alcohol: Both tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption increase the risk of diabetes.
5. Mental health: Manage stress and emotions to avoid long-term mental stress that can lead to blood sugar fluctuations.

Is it possible to do all of the above so that you won't get diabetes?

Sadly, the answer is no.

An active lifestyle can reduce the incidence and severity of diabetes, but it cannot completely prevent the occurrence of diabetes. Because diabetes is not only related to lifestyle, but also related to genetics, the latter is beyond our power.

Therefore, in addition to improving lifestyle and reducing the risk of diabetes, for those "high-risk groups" who are more likely to get diabetes, we also need to monitor blood sugar regularly and carry out early screening for diabetes.

Who is at high risk of developing diabetes?

You can be seated according to the following conditions:

People at high risk of diabetes

1. People with prediabetes who have "impaired glucose tolerance" and/or "impaired fasting blood glucose";
2. Age≥ 40 years;
3. 体重指数（BMI）≥ 24 kg/m2和/或中心型肥胖（男性腰围≥ 90 cm，女性腰围 ≥ 85 cm）;
4. History of diabetes mellitus in an immediate family member;
5. People who are sedentary and lack physical activity;
6. Women with a history of macrosomia or gestational diabetes;
7. Women with a history of polycystic ovary syndrome;
8. Those with acanthosis nigricans;
9. Those who have a history of hypertension or are receiving antihypertensive therapy;
10. Patients with hyperlipidemia < high-density lipoprotein cholesterol 0.90 mmol/L and/or triglycerides > 2.22 mmoI/L, or who are receiving lipid-lowering therapy;
11. Patients with coronary heart disease;
12. History of steroid use;
13. Long-term treatment with antipsychotic or antidepressant medications;
14. The total score of the Chinese Diabetes Risk Score is ≥ 25 points.

The China Diabetes Risk Score is an objective indicator score, the higher the score, the higher the risk of diabetes, the specific criteria are as follows:

epilogue

Diabetes is a disease that can be prevented and controlled. By paying attention to your body's warning signs, adopting a healthy lifestyle, and having regular blood sugar checks, we can effectively reduce our risk of disease and improve our quality of life.

Let's start today and take responsibility for our own health by saying "no" to diabetes.

Source: Baidu Prevention and Control to protect health

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