Diabetes, type 1 - What are the symptoms?

If you have diabetes, you have too much glucose (sugar) in your blood. When the level of glucose in your blood goes too high, doctors call this hyperglycaemia. It causes most of the symptoms of diabetes.

There are two main types of diabetes. If you have type 1 diabetes, you will probably get symptoms quite suddenly, over a few days or weeks. In type 2 diabetes, your symptoms can appear over several years, but many people don't have any symptoms. This information is for people with type 1 diabetes. We also have information on type 2 diabetes.

Some of the common symptoms of diabetes are described below.[1]

Needing to urinate more often

Your body tries to get rid of the extra glucose in your blood by flushing it out in your urine. You may need to go to the toilet more often, especially at night. This is an early symptom of diabetes.

Feeling very thirsty

You may feel thirsty more and more often. You may even wake up during the night feeling thirsty. One reason for this is because you urinate more. Losing all that fluid leaves you dried out. Feeling thirsty is also one of the first symptoms of diabetes.

Feeling very hungry or tired

Glucose can't get into your cells, so your cells don't get the fuel they need to work properly. Your brain senses that you need more fuel, and it makes you feel hungry so that you'll eat more. At the same time, you get tired because your cells aren't getting the glucose they need. The energy supply is there, but you can't use it.

Losing weight without trying

Because your cells can't use the glucose in your blood, they start to burn up fat instead. Your body fat starts to go down, and you will notice that you've lost some weight.

If you have type 1 diabetes and your blood glucose gets very high, you may get a condition called ketoacidosis. This is a medical emergency. For more information, see Hyperglycaemia.

References

Powers AC. Diabetes mellitus. In: Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, et al (editors). Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. McGraw-Hill, New York, U.S.A.; 2001.

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.