Signs and Symptoms Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and proper monitoring and treatment can decrease the chance of developing complications of diabetes. Some people may not experience symptoms and it is best to consult your healthcare professional if you have any questions or concerns. Frequent urination Excessive thirst Extreme hunger Unusual weight loss Increased fatigue Irritability Blurry vision Numbness in feet Sores that do not heal

• Autoimmune disease
• Formerly called “juvenile diabetes”
• Accounts for 5-10 percent of all diabetes cases
• Develops most often in children and young adults
• Worldwide, each year more than 700,000 children under the age of 15 fall ill with type 1 diabetes
• Careful monitoring of blood glucose levels is absolutely necessary
• Patients have to take insulin injections, otherwise ketosis and diabetes ketoacidosis can develop and coma or death may result

 
Type II Diabetes:

• Called “non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus” or “adult-onset diabetes”
• Body is able to produce some insulin but not enough or cannot use insulin efficiently
• Usually develops after the age of 40 but the recent trend is an earlier onset, in some cases affecting young children
• Type 2 diabetes may go unnoticed for years in a patient prior to diagnosis
• Severe long-term complications can result from unnoticed type 2 diabetes
• Can cause organ failure and blindness and lead to loss of limbs

Impaired Glucose Tolerance (pre-diabetes)

• Impaired glucose tolerance is a pre-diabetes state between normal glucose control and type II diabetes.
• Pre-diabetes may result from a combination of factors including reduced secretion of insulin, insulin resistance and an imbalance of other metabolic hormones

Gestational Diabetes

• Resembles type 2 diabetes
• Also involves a combination of inadequate insulin secretion and responsiveness
• Develops during pregnancy and may improve or disappear after delivery
• Occurs in about 2% - 5% of all pregnancies
• If untreated it can cause severe problems such as: macrosomia (high birth weight), fetal malformation and congenital heart disease
• It requires careful medical supervision during the pregnancy

Complications
Diabetes is associated with increased risk for a number of serious, sometimes life threatening complications. Potential complications include kidney failure, blindness, amputations, heart disease, strokes and nerve damage.


Useful hints
Patients can better manage their diabetes and take maximum control of their condition through daily self-monitoring and recording of blood glucose values and other relevant data. It has been scientifically established, that continual monitoring of blood glucose levels has a positive effect on the general health of diabetes patients. It is also beneficial for patients to complete recommended annual exams and make informed decisions with their healthcare team on diet, medication and exercise.
GlucoTel can help patients simplify the necessary process of recording daily measurements. The future of home monitoring, GlucoTel, eliminates the manual processing of log books, while still providing authorized healthcare professionals with invaluable patient monitoring data.