Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes

Introduction: Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes:

The symptoms of Type 1 diabetes usually arise over weeks and months, as compared to those of Type 2 diabetes that may take years. Although Type 1 diabetics can briefly see mild symptoms similar to the early stages of Type 2 diabetes, the most pronounced symptoms of Type 1 diabetes are usually the more severe symptoms of very high blood sugars and these progress quickly.

List of symptoms of Type 1 diabetes:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Type 1 diabetes includes the 13 symptoms listed below:

• Excessive thirst
• Excessive urination
• Excessive hunger
• Tiredness
• Losing weight
• Blurred vision
• Irritability
• Muscle cramps
• Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) - a very dangerous life-threatening complication of undiagnosed diabetes.
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Coma
  • Death

Note that Type 1 diabetes symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Type 1 diabetes signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Type 1 diabetes

Do I have Type 1 diabetes?

• Type 1 diabetes: Introduction
• Type 1 diabetes: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Home Diagnostic Testing
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Type 1 diabetes
• Failure to Diagnose Type 1 diabetes
• Hidden Causes of Type 1 diabetes
• How serious is it?
• Treatments for Type 1 diabetes
• More about Type 1 diabetes

Home Diagnostic Testing

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Wrongly Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Type 1 diabetes includes:

• Type 2 diabetes
• MODY diabetes
• Cushing's disease
• Diabetes insipidus
• Fructosuria

See the full list of 26 alternative diagnoses for Type 1 diabetes

More about symptoms of Type 1 diabetes:

More information about symptoms of Type 1 diabetes and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Type 1 diabetes
• Underlying causes of Type 1 diabetes
• Associated conditions for Type 1 diabetes
• Risk factors for Type 1 diabetes

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Blurred vision - see all causes of Blurred vision
• Coma - see all causes of Coma
• Death - see all causes of Death
• Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) - see all causes of Diabetes-like symptoms
• Excessive hunger - see all causes of Excessive hunger
• Excessive thirst - see all causes of Thirst
• Excessive urination - see all causes of Polyuria
• Irritability - see all causes of Irritability
• Losing weight - see all causes of Weight loss
• Muscle cramps - see all causes of Muscle cramps
• Nausea - see all causes of Nausea
• Tiredness - see all causes of Tiredness
• Vomiting - see all causes of Vomiting

Medical Books Online about Type 1 diabetes

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Type 1 diabetes are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Type 1 diabetes.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes insipidus: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

The patient’s history typically shows an abrupt onset of extreme polyuria (usually 4 to 16 L/day of dilute urine but sometimes as much as 30 L/day). As a result, the patient is extremely thirsty and drinks great quantities of water to compensate for the body’s water loss. This disorder may also result in nocturia. In severe cases, it may lead to extreme fatigue from inadequate rest caused by frequent voiding and excessive thirst.

Other characteristic features of diabetes insipidus include signs and symptoms of dehydration (poor tissue turgor, dry mucous membranes, constipation, muscle weakness, dizziness, and hypotension). These symptoms usually begin abruptly, commonly appearing within 1 to 2 days after a basal skull fracture, a stroke, or surgery. Relieving cerebral edema or increased intracranial pressure may cause all of these symptoms to subside just as rapidly as they began.

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Diabetes mellitus: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Diabetes may begin dramatically with ketoacidosis or insidiously. Its most common symptom is fatigue from energy deficiency and a catabolic state. Insulin deficiency causes hyperglycemia, which pulls fluid from body tissues, causing osmotic diuresis, polyuria, dehydration, polydipsia, dry mucous membranes, poor skin turgor and, in most patients, unexplained weight loss.

ELDER TIP Because their thirst mechanism functions less effectively, older adults may not report polydipsia, a hallmark of diabetes in younger adults.

In ketoacidosis and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome, dehydration may cause hypovolemia and shock. Wasting of glucose in the urine usually produces weight loss and hunger in type 1 diabetes, even if the patient eats voraciously.

Long-term effects of diabetes may include retinopathy, nephropathy, atherosclerosis, and peripheral and autonomic neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy usually affects the hands and feet and may cause numbness or pain. Autonomic neuropathy may manifest itself in several ways, including gastroparesis (leading to delayed gastric emptying and a feeling of nausea and fullness after meals), nocturnal diarrhea, impotence, and orthostatic hypotension.

Because hyperglycemia impairs the patient’s resistance to infection, diabetes may result in skin and urinary tract infections (UTIs) and vaginitis. Glucose content of the epidermis and urine encourages bacterial growth.

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Diabetic complications during pregnancy: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Indications for diagnostic screening for maternal diabetes mellitus during pregnancy include obesity, excessive weight gain, excessive hunger or thirst, polyuria, recurrent monilial infections, glycosuria, previous delivery of a large neonate, polyhydramnios, maternal hypertension, and a family history of diabetes.

Uncontrolled diabetes in a pregnant female can cause stillbirth, fetal anomalies, premature delivery, and birth of a neonate who’s large or small for gestational age. Such neonates are predisposed to severe episodes of hypoglycemia shortly after birth and may also develop hypocalcemia, hyperbilirubinemia, and respiratory distress syndrome.

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Diabetic ketoacidosis: Signs and Symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Acetone breath, Kussmaul’s respirations, dehydration, weak and thready pulse, nausea, vomiting, altered level of consciousness, dry mucous membranes, serum glucose level of 300 to 1,500 mg/dl

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Hereditary fructose intolerance: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Typically, clinical features of hereditary fructose intolerance appear shortly after dietary introduction of foods containing fructose or sucrose. Symptoms are more severe in infants than in older people and include hypoglycemia, nausea, vomiting, pallor, excessive sweating, cyanosis, and tremor. In neonates and young children, continuous ingestion of foods containing fructose may result in failure to thrive, hypoglycemia, jaundice, hyperbilirubinemia, ascites, hepatomegaly, vomiting, dehydration, hypophosphatemia, albuminuria, aminoaciduria, seizures, coma, febrile episodes, substernal pain, and anemia.

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Diabetes insipidus: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

The patient’s history typically shows an abrupt onset of extreme polyuria (usually 4 to 16 L/day of dilute urine, but sometimes as much as 30 L/day). As a result, the patient is extremely thirsty and drinks great quantities of water to compensate for the body’s water loss. This disorder may also result in hourly nocturia.

If the patient is unable to obtain adequate quantities of water, features of diabetes insipidus include signs and symptoms of dehydration (poor tissue turgor, dry mucous membranes, constipation, muscle weakness, dizziness, and hypotension). Polyuria usually begins abruptly, commonly appearing within 1 to 2 days after a basal skull fracture, a stroke, or surgery.

Relieving cerebral edema or increased intracranial pressure may cause all of these symptoms to subside just as rapidly as they began.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Diabetes mellitus: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Diabetes may begin dramatically with ketoacidosis in type 1 or insidiously. Its most common symptom is fatigue, from energy deficiency and a catabolic state. However, many patients with type 2 diabetes may be asymptomatic.

Insulin deficiency or resistance causes hyperglycemia, which pulls fluid from body tissues, causing osmotic diuresis, polyuria, dehydration, polydipsia, dry mucous membranes, and poor skin turgor. In ketoacidosis and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic state, dehydration may cause hypovolemia and shock. Wasting of glucose in the urine usually produces weight loss and hunger in uncontrolled type 1 diabetes, even if the patient eats voraciously.

Long-term effects

In diabetes, long-term effects may include retinopathy, nephropathy, atherosclerosis, and peripheral and autonomic neuropathy.

Peripheral neuropathy usually affects the hands and feet and may cause numbness or pain. Autonomic neuropathy may manifest itself in several ways, including gastroparesis (leading to delayed gastric emptying and a feeling of nausea and fullness after meals), nocturnal diarrhea, impotence, and postural hypotension.

Because hyperglycemia impairs the patient’s resistance to infection, diabetes may result in skin and urinary tract infections and vaginitis. Glucose content of the epidermis and urine encourages bacterial growth.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Diabetic complications during pregnancy: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

All women should receive diagnostic screening for maternal diabetes mellitus during pregnancy. Women at higher risk or with a history of gestational diabetes, fetal or birth problems, may warrant early screening in the second trimester using a formal glucose tolerance test.

Uncontrolled diabetes in a pregnant woman can cause stillbirth, fetal anomalies, premature delivery, and birth of an infant who is large or small for gestational age. Such infants are predisposed to severe episodes of hypoglycemia shortly after birth. These infants may also develop hypocalcemia, hyperbilirubinemia, and respiratory distress syndrome.

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Drug abuse and dependence: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Indications of acute intoxication vary, depending on the drug.

Clinical tip  The drug user seldom seeks treatment specifically for his drug problem. Instead, he may seek emergency treatment for drug-related injuries or complications.

Friends, family members, or law enforcement officials may bring the patient to the hospital because of respiratory depression, unconsciousness, acute injury, or a psychiatric crisis.

Physical examination

Examine the patient for signs and symptoms of drug use or drug-related complications as well as for clues to the type of drug ingested. For example, fever can result from stimulant or hallucinogen intoxication, from withdrawal, or from infection from I.V. drug use.

Inspect the eyes for lacrimation from opioid withdrawal, nystagmus from central nervous system (CNS) depressants or phencyclidine intoxication, and drooping eyelids from opioid or CNS depressant use. Constricted pupils occur with opioid use or withdrawal; dilated pupils, with the use of hallucinogens or amphetamines.

Examine the nose for rhinorrhea from opioid withdrawal and the oral and nasal mucosa for signs of drug-induced irritation. Drug sniffing can result in inflammation, atrophy, or perforation of the nasal mucosa. Dental conditions commonly result from the poor oral hygiene associated with chronic drug use. Also inspect under the tongue for evidence of I.V. drug injection.

Inspect the skin. Sweating, a common sign of intoxication with opioids or CNS stimulants, also accompanies most drug withdrawal syndromes. Drug use sometimes induces a sensation of bugs crawling on the skin, known as formication; as a result, the patient’s skin may be excoriated from scratching.

Needle marks or tracks are an obvious sign of I.V. drug abuse. Keep in mind that the patient may attempt to conceal or disguise injection sites with tattoos or by selecting an inconspicuous site, such as under the nails.

In addition, self-injection can sometimes cause cellulitis or abscesses, especially in patients who also are chronic alcoholics. Puffy hands can be a late sign of thrombophlebitis or of fascial infection from self-injection on the hands or arms.

Auscultation may disclose bilateral crackles and rhonchi caused by smoking and inhaling drugs or by opioid overdose. Other cardiopulmonary signs of overdose include pulmonary edema, respiratory depression, aspiration pneumonia, and hypotension.

CNS stimulants and some hallucinogens may precipitate refractory acute-onset hypertension or cardiac arrhythmias. Withdrawal from opioids or CNS depressants can also provoke arrhythmias and, occasionally, hypotension.

During opioid withdrawal, the patient may report abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting. Opioid abusers also commonly complain of hemorrhoids, a consequence of the constipating effects of these drugs. Palpation of an enlarged liver, with or without tenderness, may indicate hepatitis.

Neurologic symptoms of drug abuse include tremors, hyperreflexia, hyporeflexia, and seizures. Abrupt withdrawal may precipitate signs of CNS depression (ranging from lethargy to coma), hallucinations, or signs of overstimulation, including euphoria and violent behavior.

Medical history

Carefully review the patient’s medical history. Suspect drug abuse if he reports a painful injury or chronic illness but refuses a diagnostic workup. In his attempt to obtain drugs, the dependent patient may feign illnesses, such as migraine headaches, myocardial infarction, and renal colic; claim an allergy to over-the-counter analgesics; or even request a specific medication.

Also, be alert for a previous history of overdose or a high tolerance for potentially addictive drugs. I.V. drug users may have a history of hepatitis or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection from sharing dirty needles. Female drug users may report a history of amenorrhea.

A patient who abuses drugs may give you a fictitious name and address, be reluctant to discuss previous hospitalizations, or seek treatment at a medical facility across town rather than in his own neighborhood. If possible, interview family members to verify his responses.

If the patient admits to drug use, try to determine the extent to which this behavior interferes with his normal functioning. Note whether he expresses a desire to overcome his dependence on drugs.

If possible, obtain a drug history consisting of substances ingested, amount, frequency, and last dose. Expect incomplete or inaccurate responses. Drug-induced amnesia, a depressed level of consciousness, or ignorance may distort the patient’s recollection of the facts; he also may deliberately fabricate answers to avoid arrest or to conceal a suicide attempt.

The hospitalized drug abuser is likely to be uncooperative, disruptive, or even violent. He may experience mood swings, anxiety, impaired memory, sleep disturbances, flashbacks, slurred speech, depression, and thought disorders.

Some patients resort to plays on sympathy, bribery, or threats to obtain drugs. They may also try to manipulate caregivers by pitting one against another.

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Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes:

Diabetes Overview: NIDDK (Excerpt)

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes usually develop over a short period, although beta cell destruction can begin years earlier.

Symptoms include increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and extreme fatigue. If not diagnosed and treated with insulin, a person can lapse into a life-threatening diabetic coma, also known as diabetic ketoacidosis. (Source: excerpt from Diabetes Overview: NIDDK)

Endocrine Diseases: NWHIC (Excerpt)

Increased thirst, increased urination, weight loss, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, frequent infections. (Source: excerpt from Endocrine Diseases: NWHIC)

Type 1 diabetes as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Type 1 diabetes, it is also important to consider Type 1 diabetes as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Type 1 diabetes may cause:

• Autoantibodies
• Autonomic neuropathy, peripheral
• Cataracts
• Charcot's joints
• Diabetic ketoacidosis
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Gastroparesis
• Hyperglycaemia
• Immune deficiency
• Mononeuritis multiplex
• Papillary necrosis
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Proteinuria
• Renal failure, chronic
• Short stature
• Tonic pupil

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes
• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Type 1 diabetes
• How serious is Type 1 diabetes?
• More about Type 1 diabetes
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Type 1 diabetes:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Type 1 diabetes. This signs and symptoms information for Type 1 diabetes has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Type 1 diabetes signs or Type 1 diabetes symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Type 1 diabetes may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Type 1 diabetes symptoms.