Symptoms of Diabetes Mellitus

Classic diabetes announces with three P's - but type 2 often whispers for years before anyone listens. Both the loud and the quiet signs are here.

The classic triad

• Polyuria: passing urine frequently, including waking at night to go
• Polydipsia: unusual, persistent thirst
• Polyphagia: increased hunger, sometimes with weight LOSS despite eating well (a red flag in the young - think type 1)

The quieter signs (type 2's whisper)

• Fatigue and low energy that does not match the day's work
• Slow-healing cuts and frequent infections - skin boils, urinary infections, stubborn itching, fungal infections
• Blurred vision that comes and goes
• Tingling or numbness in feet and hands - early nerve involvement
• Dark velvety patches on the neck and armpits (acanthosis nigricans) - a visible insulin-resistance sign
• In children: new bedwetting, weight loss, irritability

The emergency picture

• Type 1 can present as diabetic ketoacidosis: vomiting, abdominal pain, deep rapid breathing, fruity breath, drowsiness - an ICU emergency, not an OPD appointment
• Very high sugars with confusion or dehydration at any age: same-day hospital care

The dangerous silence

Half of India's diabetics are undiagnosed - type 2 damages eyes, kidneys and nerves for YEARS before symptoms. Anyone over 30, overweight, or with a family history benefits from a simple yearly sugar test, symptoms or not.

One-line summary

Listen for the three P's - frequent urination, unusual thirst, rising hunger - plus fatigue, slow healing, recurrent infections and blurred vision; but test on risk, not symptoms, because type 2 damages silently for years.