Gaining a little weight, feeling tired, or having bruises that don’t go away aren’t symptoms of prediabetes by themselves, but when they occur together, they could be.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that prediabetes occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to qualify as diabetes.
However, most do not know they have it and are silently paving the way for a much more serious disease, according to North American endocrinologist Ashita Gupta, who points out that up to 9 out of 10 patients do not know they suffer from pre-diabetes.
“In fact, it’s common for these people to feel perfectly normal and healthy as their prediabetes progresses,” she explains to health and wellness magazine Shape.
1. Blurred Vision
Gupta says that sudden increases and decreases in blood sugar levels — common in people with prediabetes — can impair the eye’s ability to focus, leading to blurry vision. This symptom should go away once the sugar levels are regulated.
2. Excessive Thirst
Excessive thirst is one of the most characteristic signs of prediabetes and diabetes. This happens in response to excess sugar in the blood, as the body tries to eliminate the excess through urine, forcing you to go to the bathroom more than usual.
This, in turn, can cause dehydration, making you thirsty.
3. Wounds or infections that are difficult to heal
High blood sugar can slow circulation, which can make your skin take longer to repair itself. Gupta says minor bruises and cuts may take longer than usual to heal as a result.
Prediabetes can also promote the growth of bacteria and fungi, which can lead to recurring infections, including of the skin, vagina and urinary tract, Gupta says.
4. Extreme Fatigue
Your body uses blood sugar for fuel, but prediabetes causes insulin resistance, which means your body can’t convert glucose into energy efficiently. This causes fatigue and excessive tiredness, the specialist explains.
5. Sudden, unexplained weight gain or loss
When your body can’t get the energy it needs from blood sugar, it starts burning other things for fuel, which can lead to weight loss, even if you don’t diet or exercise, Gupta says.
On the other hand, insulin resistance can make you hungry and cause you to gain weight instead of losing it.
6. Some areas of skin are darker
High insulin levels can speed up the rate of skin cell reproduction, leading to a condition called acanthosis pigmentosa. This happens when the skin on your neck, under your arms, or in your elbow creases begins to darken and feel smooth or velvety, Gupta says.