What are the symptoms of type 1 diabetes?

What are the symptoms of type 1 diabetes?

Anne Peters, MD, FACP, CDE (Professor and Director of Clinical Diabetes Programs, USC Keck School of Medicine) gives expert video advice on: What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes?; When should I get emergency care if I have diabetes?; Why should I should I have my urine checked if I have diabetes? and more...

Type 1 diabetes is often found in people where they become really thirsty. It's not generally a subtle thing: their blood sugar levels become very high, say 300 or 400, and considering normal is about 100, that's very high. They'll get thirsty, they'll urinate a lot, they'll feel tired, and they'll lose weight; they're kind of the classic symptoms of someone getting type 1 diabetes. Now, when kids get type 1 diabetes, they tend to seem really sick. They get a lot of symptoms; they get thirst, they get dehydration. The parents will really notice there's something wrong with their child. When people, though, get type 1 diabetes as an adult, they actually might not have symptoms. They may not really have symptoms at all until their doctor picks it up on a routine blood test. It's different with <a href="http://www.videojug.com/interview/gestational-diabetes">Gestational Diabetes</a> though. So, at least from my own experience, adults getting type 1 diabetes may end up not having symptoms; it would end up as being something they found out from their doctor. So, don't assume that a lack of symptoms means you don't have type 1 diabetes. You could be getting it and just not know it yet.