3 Deadly Diabetes Warning Signs to Watch Before The New Year, and How to Reduce Your Risk Fast

New Year's is just around the corner, and a pretty hectic time - with the pressure of organising and attending parties, eating lots of junk food, and even traveling to see family. However, like any other

time of the year, it is important to recognise health issues as well. With an estimated more than 101 million people with diabetes and 136 million with pre-diabetes, India is second only to China globally for the number of people with the metabolic disease, and reports suggest that over half of these individuals may be unaware of their condition. Diabetes can lead to serious health complications, which include heart attacks and strokes, if left untreated. And so, the doctors warn of the risk of the condition at the time of New Year’s, along with signs to look out for.

Feeling thirsty all the time

Feeling constantly thirsty is a classic and significant sign of diabetes, mostly paired with frequent urination since your body tries to flush out excess sugar through urine, causing dehydration. If you experience persistent thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue, it is important that you see a doctor, as these are key indicators that your blood sugar levels may be too high. Also, it is important to know that around New Year’s, you may be drinking lots, particularly alcohol, which can be confusing, especially with feeling more thirsty. While feeling thirsty for booze is not directly linked to diabetes itself, people with diabetes who experience increased thirst due to high blood sugar levels could interpret it as a craving for alcohol. However, it is important to remember that drinking alcohol can negatively impact blood sugar levels.

Wanting to pee more than normal

Frequent urination, also known as polyuria, is a classic and significant sign of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, which occurs because the kidneys try to flush out excess blood sugar, pulling water with it and leading to dehydration and increased thirst. Doctors say that in diabetes, because the level of sugar in the blood is abnormally high, not all of the sugar can be reabsorbed. Some of the excess glucose from the blood ends up in the urine, where it draws more water, resulting in large volumes of urine.

Blurred vision

Blurred vision can be a sign of diabetes, often caused by high blood sugar levels that cause your eye's lens to swell and change shape. It can also be a symptom of more serious diabetic eye diseases like retinopathy and macular edema, which can lead to vision loss if left untreated. Diabetic retinopathy happens when there is damage to your retina, leading to:

• Gradually worsening vision
• Sudden vision loss
• Shapes floating in your field of vision, or floaters
• Blurred or patchy vision
• Eye pain or redness
• Difficulty seeing in the dark

How to know if these symptoms are related to diabetes?

Experts believe that these signs would last until the diabetes or blood sugar levels are brought under control. Doctors say if diabetes is picked up later, people may already have symptoms related to the complications of diabetes, which can include tingling, numbness, or burning pain in the feet. However, it is important to see the doctor for testing, like the A1c blood test, which is crucial for diagnosis.