What is diabetes? today are breaking down the cunning signs of  not identified diabetes signs you might able to spot on yourself but why should your attention well one in 4 american adults with diabetes are completely unaware they have it and if we get it early we can avoid all the issues were about to discuss by the end of this video you will know rightly what to see  out for so you can take authority of your health

okay so what is diabetes simply put diabetes is a condition where your body has problem managing blood sugar levels simply a hormone called insulin moves sugar from your blood into your cells where it can be used as  energy but when you got  diabetes either your pancreas  prevent making insulin which we call type no 1 diabetes or your cells become resistant to insulin and prevent responding properly which we call type  no 2 diabetes.

in both type cases sugar builds up in your blood over time and this causes unchangeable damage to your blood vessels nerves and organs since type  no 2 diabetes is far more common thats what were going to focus on in this  content

Early Warning Signs You Should Not Ignore

all right lets get into the symptoms so one of the most common signs of diabetes polyuria is frequent urination also known as polyurea patients tell me this is most noticeable at night when they’re suddenly waking up multiple times a night to go to the bathroom

this happens because as blood sugar levels rise your kidneys have to work harder to filter and absorb that excess glucose at a certain point they can’t keep up and excess glucose spills out into your urine dragging water with it

this not only leads to increased urination but also a state of dehydration and increase thirst so its a vicious cycle pee more drink more and as you can imagine trying to hydrate with sugary drinks like juice or pop just makes this worse

Visible Skin Changes Linked to Diabetes

okay now acanthosis nigricans grab a mirror because were going to focus on some signs of diabetes that you can see on your skin first up a kenosis nyrians this is a skin condition characterized by dark velvety patches that you can usually find on the back of the neck armpit or groin

most of the time when you see this its a sign of insulin resistance basically your cells stop responding to normal insulin levels so your pancreas responds by producing even more insulin and when insulin levels rise they activate insulin like growth factor receptors in the skin

this stimulates the growth of skin cells like keratinocytes and fiber blasts particularly in areas with high friction like the armpits and thats what causes the thickening and hyperpigmentation of the skin so if you notice these changes it could be an early warning sign of diabetes

heres another side to look out skin tags for skin tags just like this can these little skin flaps can show up in areas of friction where skin folds together like the neck armpits and groin while they are usually harmless having multiple skin tags can be a sign of insulin resistance

Infections and Immune System Effects

all right now lets infections talk about infections diabetes can create the perfect environment for bacteria and fungi to thrive because high blood sugar levels literally feeds these little organisms helping helping them grow and spread

plus consistently high sugar levels significantly weakens your immune system this can show up on the skin as abscesses or yeast infections but it doesnt stop there remember how excess glucose can spill out into the urine

well thats one reason that people with diabetes are far more likely to develop urinary tract infections and yes that affect both men and women

Joint and Tendon Complications

did you know that high blood glucose can literally cause your tendons to become coated in sugar so what would that feel like lets start with a quick diabetic stiff hand syndrome test put your hands together like you’re about to pre this is normal

but if your fingers cant fully straighten or your palms aren’t touching this is abnormal and its called a positive prayer sign and this can be caused by diabetic chyo orthopathy also known as diabetic stiff hand syndrome

and its directly related to high blood sugar excess sugar actually binds to the proteins in your skin and tendons in a process called glycosylation remember this term because were going to talk about it more later

the sugarcoated soft tissues in your hand become thick and less flexible which limits the range of movement on a few occasions ive actually seen this mistaken for arthritis

Trigger Finger and Frozen Shoulder

lets take a look at this published case report a 52-year-old woman came into the office with pain and stiffness in her hands this is the x-ray of her hands her joints looked totally normal with no sign of arthritis

although her joints were fine the pain and stiffness was coming from the sugar coating of her tendons and soft tissue of the hand

frozen shoulder another common issue that can be triggered by diabetes is called trigger finger it occurs when one of the tendons that bends your finger gets inflamed patients will often come in with their fingers stuck in this position

and then when they try to extend it it sort of snaps into place the condition got its name from that unmistakable snapping sensation once again this is caused by glycosylation of the tendon

Nerve Damage and Foot Complications

but beyond joints and tendons diabetes can seriously imp impact your nerves high sugar levels are toxic to neuropathy the nerves themselves and also to the tiny blood vessels that supply nutrients and oxygen to the nerves

as the nerves become damaged you might experience numbness tingling or pain particularly in the hands and feet this is known as neuropathy

you might be thinking well having numb hands and feet sounds uncomfortable but how bad can it really be well you don’t realize how important the nerves are in your feet until they aren’t working properly

neuropathy actually chang changes the way you walk leading to an abnormal weight distribution along your foot when you cant feel your feet you’re not aware of the excess stress and injuries that occur

Charcot Foot and Amputation Risk

we call these microtraumas tiny little fractures that develop in the bone because people with diabetic neuropathy cant feel the injury they continue to walk on it which prevents it from healing

and to make matters worse they also have decreased blood flow to the feet and slower wound healing because of the diabetes this is a slippery slope

and over time it leads to dramatic structural changes to the foot and this is the end result called shco charcot foot foot notice how the arch of the foot is completely destroyed and it now has a rocker bottom appearance

and while were on the topic of feet did you know that diabetes is the number one cause of non-traumatic amputations

Diagnosis Prevention and Next Steps

so how do we diagnosed diabetes in the past doctors would actually taste a patients urine to check for sweetness thankfully we’ve come a long way since then today diabetes is a pretty straightforward diagnosis

the best test is called hemoglobin a1c and it tells you about your average blood sugar level over the past 2 to 3 months

now how to prevent diabetes now this could be an entire video but here it is in a nutshell diet can be complex and you hear lots of different things but remember these four principles high fiber complex carbohydrates less sugar and fewer processed foods

diabetes is manageable ideally we want to prevent it but if its going to happen we want to catch it early.