Diabetes type 2 symptoms: Two indications on your face that are a sign of high blood sugar

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Whether you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, and you want to make sure you have healthy blood sugar levels, or you’re suspicious as to whether you have the condition or not, two telling signs could be on your face. Firstly, any significant weight loss seen in the face that can’t be attributed to a change of diet or lifestyle can be a red herring. The charity Diabetes UK confirmed that unexplained weight loss can be a sign of high blood sugar levels. However, it could be a sign of many serious illnesses.

The NHS pointed out that “persistent” and “unintentional” weight loss “of more than five percent of your weight over six to 12 months is usually a cause for concern”.

Causes of unintentional weight loss might include:

  • Following a stressful event, such as bereavement, divorce, or redundancy
  • Cancer
  • Overactive thyroid
  • Alcohol misuse
  • Heart, kidney, lung or liver disease
  • Undiagnosed diabetes
  • Lupus
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Medication side effects
  • Drug misuse
  • Addison’s disease
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Dysphagia (swallowing problems)
  • Stomach ulcer
  • Ulcerative colitis
  • Coeliac disease
  • Gasreoenteritis
  • Tuberculosos
  • HIV and AIDS
  • Dementia.

Another potential sign of high blood sugar, pointed out by WebMD, is a staphylococcus bacterial infection.

This can lead to a stye – a tender red bump on the edge of the eyelid, explained Johns Hopkins Medicine.

READ MORE: Diabetes type 2 symptoms: The skin condition on your feet that can indicate diabetes

Medical treatment might include an antibiotic cream or ointment, or you may be referred to an ophthalmologist (i.e. an eye specialist) if the stye doesn’t go away.

Other people more at risk of having a stye include:

  • If you’ve had one before
  • If you wear contact lenses
  • If you don’t keep the eye area clean
  • If you use old or contaminated make-up
  • If you have rosacea or seborrheic dermatitis.

The only way to confirm for definite if you have diabetes is to have a blood test testing for blood sugar levels.

Other signs of high blood sugar, as pointed out by Diabetes UK, include:

  • Passing more urine than normal, especially at night
  • Being very thirsty
  • Tiredness and lethargy
  • Thrush or other recurring bladder and skin infections
  • Headaches
  • Blurred vision
  • Weight loss
  • Feeling sick.

Counting carbs is one way to manage your carbohydrate intake, focusing on low gycemic index (GI) foods, such as:

  • Sweet potatoes
  • Porridge
  • Plantain
  • Quinoa
  • Bulgar wheat
  • New potatoes

It’s also helpful to try to “maintain a healthy weight” by being “as active as possible”.

If you’ve been prescribed medication, it’s important that you continue to take your tablets.

It’ll also help to “get a quality night’s sleep” and to learn effective ways to manage feelings of stress.

Published at Fri, 04 Jun 2021 09:16:00 +0000

Diabetes type 2 symptoms: Two indications on your face that are a sign of high blood sugar

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