Polydipsia is the ‘most common’ diabetes symptom – expert

Type 2 diabetes can be a 'devastating diagnosis' says expert

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Diabetes can go undetected for many years before the problem that triggers symptoms – high blood sugar levels – decides to spur on warning signs. However, knowing what to look for can be the first step in identifying the condition. One warning sign strikes in your mouth.

Diabetes symptoms are often classed as general, leaving patients unaware that something is wrong, according to the NHS.

However, one of “the most common” diabetes symptoms that targets “many people” is polydipsia, according to Diabetes UK.

Polydipsia, or excessive thirst, is one of the “initial” symptoms of diabetes, Diabetes.co.uk explains.

While everyone is bound to get thirsty from time to time, the health portal details the tell-tale signs that could help identify increased thirst as a symptom of diabetes.

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Diabetes.co.uk states: “We all get thirsty at various times during the day.

“Adequate daily intake of water (several glasses) is very important as water is essential for many bodily functions, including regulating body temperature and removing waste.

“However, if you feel thirsty all the time or your thirst is stronger than usual and continues even after you drink, it can be a sign that not all is well inside your body.”

One key tell is that polydipsia is often accompanied by either temporary or prolonged dryness of the mouth.

Furthermore, polydipsia can’t be quenched by drinking plenty of liquids as this sign is “persistent and unexplained”.

Diabetes.co.uk adds that patients with diabetes will also notice that they are passing more than five litres of urine a day.

If you experience these tell-tale signs pointing to excessive thirst, it’s important to see your GP.

Similarly to other diabetes symptoms, polydipsia is triggered by high blood sugar levels.

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When you have untreated diabetes, your kidneys are forced to work harder to filter and absorb the extra blood sugar.

When the little organs reach a point when they can’t keep up, the excess glucose is excreted into your urine, dragging along fluids from your tissues, which makes you dehydrated, the Mayo Clinic reports.

This is the very recipe for increased feelings of thirst. However, it’s important to note that other health problems, ranging from diarrhoea to sepsis, could also spur on this sign.

Fortunately, polydipsia is one of the most “common” symptoms of diabetes but it isn’t the only red flag.

According to the NHS, the full list of tell-tale symptoms of diabetes include:

• Feeling very thirsty
• Peeing more frequently than usual, particularly at night
• Feeling very tired
• Weight loss and loss of muscle bulk
• Itching around your genitals, or frequent episodes of thrush
• Cuts or wounds that heal slowly
• Blurred vision.

You should visit your GP “as soon as possible” if you experience any of these main symptoms, the health service stresses.

While type 1 diabetes can develop quickly over weeks or even days, many people with type 2 can go years without realising they have the condition.

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