This Morning: Type 2 diabetes can be 'devastating' says expert
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More people “than ever” have diabetes, according to charity Diabetes UK, which estimated over 4.9million people in the UK are currently affected by the condition. Despite how prevalent diabetes is, one doctor says many of the signs and symptoms are “easily missed”.
Dr Firdous is a specialist physician who is on a mission to share “health education” on her TikTok page @dr.firdous, where she has currently amassed 122.8k followers.
She posted a video on her TikTok sharing some of the most common symptoms of diabetes, many of which are often missed or mistaken for something else.
In the footage, Dr Firdous said: “The signs can be subtle and easily missed. Most diabetes patients, when diagnosed don’t know these symptoms are abnormal.”
However, the doctor does note that “these symptoms are not limited to diabetes” and encourages people to “speak to your doctor” about anything they may be concerned about.
As part of the video, the health professional lists nine of the most common symptoms of diabetes.
These include:
- Needing to urinate all of the time
- Thirst
- An increase in yeast infections
- Erectile dysfunction
- A decrease in libido
- Chronic fatigue
- Dry mouth
- Poor wound healing
- Visual changes
Dr Firdous added: “If you have any of these symptoms, test for diabetes.”
Diabetes UK said: “Around 90 percent of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.
“Around 8 percent of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. About 2 percent of people with diabetes have rarer types of diabetes.”
The charity added: “Research has consistently shown that for some people, combined lifestyle interventions including diet, physical activity and sustained weight loss – can be effective in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes by about 50 percent.”
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Lifestyle changes are often advised for people at higher risk of diabetes and those who have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, as they can help manage the condition.
These include incorporating at least two and a half hours of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, or one hour and 15 minutes of high-intensity exercise.
Gradual weight loss and changes to diet can also help in managing diabetes, or lowering the risk of developing the condition.
Diabetets.co.uk recommends replacing refined carbohydrates with wholegrain foods and increasing the intake of vegetables and other foods high in dietary fibre.
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