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Diabetes is a condition where blood glucose levels become too high.

Diabetes is a condition where blood glucose levels become too high.
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Diabetes symptoms

1-minute read

Symptoms for type 1 diabetes may occur suddenly and include:

  • excessive thirst
  • frequent urination including bedwetting
  • excessive hunger
  • unexplained weakness and fatigue
  • unexplained weight loss
  • blurred vision
  • having cuts that heal slowly
  • itching and skin infections
  • mood swings
  • headache
  • dizziness
  • leg cramps
  • vaginal discharge or itch in young girls
  • nausea and vomiting

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Many people with type 2 diabetes have no symptoms, and if they do occur they often have a gradual onset. They can also be easily missed or mistaken as part of the normal ageing process. They include:

  • blurred vision
  • tiredness
  • urinating more frequently
  • feeling thirsty all the time
  • numbness and tingling in the feet or legs
  • recurrent infections
  • always feeling hungry
  • having cuts that heal slowly
  • itching, skin infections
  • blurred vision
  • gradually putting on weight
  • mood swings
  • headaches
  • feeling dizzy
  • leg cramps

Check your symptoms with healthdirect’s Symptom Checker to get advice on when to seek medical attention, or if you are concerned you may have diabetes see your doctor.

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Last reviewed: July 2018

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