Type 2 diabetes develops over a few years, and many people with type 2 diabetes do not have any symptoms, or they may not recognize these symptoms. Worldwide, up to 50% of people living with type 2 diabetes have not been diagnosed.
Most people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese, and the early symptoms of type 2 diabetes may include:
- Recurrent infections like bladder infections, kidney infections and skin infections. In females, recurrent vaginal infections
- Wounds that don’t heal or take a long time to heal
- Fatigue and unexplained tiredness
- Blurred vision
- Increased thirst
- Increased urination, or needing to urinate at night
- Hunger
- Pain or numbness in the feet or hands
- In males, the inability to get or maintain an erection, known as erectile dysfunction
As a person with type 2 diabetes, if you do not control your blood sugar (glucose) levels you may also have some of the symptoms listed above. If you are taking medication for your diabetes, and you do have any of these symptoms, you need to visit your doctor and ask him to do an HbA1c to check if your current medication is enough to control your diabetes, or your doctor may need to add additional medication.