Because the symptoms of diabetes can go undetected for significant periods of time, it is called the silent killer. Detection of the disease at an early stage and timely treatment helps prevent numerous severe complications that may be associated with damage to the nervous system, kidneys, eyes, disturbances in the peripheral blood supply, as well as complications during pregnancy.
We should not forget about the prevention of diabetes, which involves, in particular, lifestyle changes. You should stop smoking, do not forget about physical activity, and a balanced healthy diet is necessary. Below are ten key early signs of diabetes that should alert you.
No. 1 Copious, frequent urination
One of the earliest symptoms of diabetes is polyuria.
If you notice frequent urination and a significant increase in urine volume (especially at night), this is a serious signal to contact a general practitioner or endocrinologist.
The amount of glucose in the blood increases due to slower absorption. As a result, the work of the kidneys increases and they “try” to remove excess glucose into the urine. Water, instead of being absorbed by the body, is intensively removed from it.
4.Treatment
Obviously, the therapeutic “target” will not be xerostomia with polydipsia - since these are always only symptoms - but the etiopathogenetic mechanisms underlying these phenomena. It is absolutely impossible to list all the options for specialized (endocrinological, gastroenterological, nephrological, etc.) therapeutic regimens, with the successful implementation of which thirst goes away, just as it is impossible to list all diseases at once in one article.
It is important to understand, however, that constant thirst and dry mouth, unless caused by obviously transient situational factors, are never a harmless isolated phenomenon. Any cause of dehydration, be it glomerulonephritis, diabetes, infection or intestinal disease, is pathological and very serious, so with such phenomena it is necessary to see a doctor as soon as possible.
#3 Insatiable hunger
Due to disrupted metabolic processes in the body, a person may constantly experience a feeling of hunger, as the cells stop absorbing glucose, which is “fuel” for the cells.
The body has to look for alternative sources of energy. Moreover, even consuming a large amount of food is not able to satiate a person. He is unable to satisfy his hunger, because overeating further increases the blood sugar level.
In such a situation, a visit to the endocrinologist cannot be postponed.
1.General information
Constant unquenchable thirst, obsessive thoughts about water that make it difficult to concentrate, an imperative desire to drink, a dry mouth - these are phenomena known and understood by everyone. The reason is also intuitive: the body “asks” for what it lacks, that is, fluid. It is not for nothing that water is called the source of life on Earth: fatal dehydration (dehydration) is one of the most painful options for death, and even the illusory or imaginary possibility of a critical water shortage causes all body systems to send literally panic signals to the brain: drink!
Strictly speaking, thirst with forced large fluid intake (polydipsia) and dry mouth (xerostomia, hyposalivation) are not the same thing, and sometimes these phenomena are caused by completely different reasons. Hyposalivation means insufficient secretory activity of the salivary glands (in contrast to hypersalivation, pathologically intense salivation). However, drying of the oral mucosa is such a characteristic and associated symptom of thirst that many patients no longer distinguish one from the other, using these terms as absolute synonyms.
And such patients, of course, need not terminological analysis, but medical care.
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#9 Dry skin and itching
Elevated blood glucose levels provoke dysfunction of the sweat and sebaceous glands. Human skin becomes sensitive and dry. Due to the reduction of the skin's protective barrier, toxins, allergens and infections easily penetrate the skin. In most cases, itching is the result of dry skin or a fungal infection. In some cases, dark spots appear on the skin with diabetes (in the armpits, on the neck and in the groin area).
If you are regularly bothered by burning or itching in various parts of the body, as well as dry skin (despite moisturizing), you need to consult a specialist.
3. Symptoms and diagnosis
The axial, leading symptoms are mentioned at the beginning of the article and probably do not need additional explanation. However, the situational and anamnestic context in which such symptoms arise is of great diagnostic importance. Any doctor to whom a patient turns with constant thirst and dry mouth will definitely clarify many details: at what time of day, in what circumstances, whether thirst is accompanied by general weakness, malaise, a feeling of insatiable hunger, fever, nausea, bitterness in the mouth, white coating on the tongue, dizziness, frequent or rare urination, diarrhea, etc. If the patient is a woman of fertile age, a question about possible pregnancy will certainly be asked.
The above symptoms can occur in a variety of combinations, and some of these symptom complexes suggest a very serious pathology. In any case, laboratory and instrumental examinations will be prescribed (depending on the specific clinical picture and the most likely root cause).
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No. 10 Visual impairment
Is it difficult for you to see details, everything floats before your eyes and you feel like you’re in a fog, have you lost your visual acuity? These symptoms may also signal high blood sugar levels.
If such symptoms are left unattended, over time new blood vessels will appear on the retina and serious problems such as cataracts, glaucoma and retinopathy will arise.
Proper treatment and proper nutrition for diabetes of any type has a positive prognosis; the person remains able to work and does not change his usual lifestyle.
Take care of your health; if you have even one of the listed symptoms, consult a doctor!
2. Reasons
Xerostomia - dry mouth - can be caused by taking medications, and there are a lot of medications that “dry out” the oral cavity: antihypertensives, antiallergic drugs, NSAIDs, antidepressants, antibiotics, etc. Another common cause is pathology of the salivary glands themselves - for example, obstruction of the ducts or radiation damage. “Your mouth gets dry” and directly depends on situational factors - for example, in a state of stress or sudden fear, when the release of adrenaline almost instantly puts the body into an alert (reacting to a threat) state. Forced breathing through the mouth with a runny nose, too dry and/or dusty air, drinking large doses of alcohol the day before, spicy or salty foods, smoking, intense loss of moisture through sweat during heat or physical activity - all these reasons are well known and widespread.
However, dry mouth also occurs after massive blood loss (for example, due to trauma, internal bleeding, abdominal surgery under general anesthesia), during acute purulent-inflammatory processes (for example, peritonitis as a result of a perforated ulcer), many gastroenterological and psychoneurological diseases (in which the central, cerebral regulation of salivation is disrupted).
Polydipsia, as stated above, is most often combined with xerostomia (one can say vice versa), but in some cases, unquenchable thirst has a different clinical meaning and a different origin. Dehydration as such is a rather complex phenomenon, and it is not always caused by a direct deficiency of fluid intake. In some cases, the mechanisms of absorption and retention of water in the body are disrupted - primarily with damage to the endocrine and urinary systems. For example, since ancient times, polydipsia has been included in the obligate tetrad of symptoms of diabetes mellitus - a severe progressive endocrine-metabolic (hormonal-metabolic) disorder, in which an increase in glucose concentration triggers a complex chain of pathological changes in literally all systems of the body.
Finally, polydipsia as a symptom is included in the structure of several psychopathological syndromes (panic attack, hysterical neurosis or accentuation, depression, etc.).
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Dry mouth and snoring
Most often it occurs in patients who snore at night. Inhaling air through the mouth is accompanied by drying of the mucous membrane, which can lead to discomfort upon awakening. Sometimes people complain of dryness, but at the same time do not associate this with snoring, because they are not aware that they snore.
If a person suffers from a complicated form of snoring, that is, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, dry mouth may be more pronounced than with “normal” snoring. Due to severe obstruction of the airway, air movement in the mouth and throat occurs more intensely, so that the mucous membrane dries out faster. With apnea syndrome, dry mouth can be one of the causes of restless sleep and night awakenings.
Along with dryness, snoring patients often experience a sore throat, accumulation of viscous mucus in the throat and hoarseness, so sometimes patients with apnea syndrome attribute their complaints to a chronic upper respiratory tract infection. The presence or absence of infection can be detected by contacting an ENT doctor, and the diagnosis of sleep apnea is made after special diagnostic methods, for example, respiratory monitoring, which is available only in sleep centers.
If you have not yet been tested for sleep apnea, evaluate yourself for signs of the disease. These are shortness of breath at night, cough, sweating during sleep, severe daytime sleepiness, frequent urination, high blood pressure, decreased potency, and heartburn. If you have anything from this list, you should contact a somnologist. You can also take an OSA test.
Patients with sleep apnea should begin treatment as quickly as possible. The disease is dangerous, it several times increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, accelerates the development of cardiovascular and other diseases, contributes to the appearance of endocrine disorders, and daytime sleepiness with OSA greatly increases the likelihood of injury or getting into an accident.
Treatment for this disease is usually carried out with CPAP therapy. This is a highly effective method that eliminates many of the symptoms of the disease from the first night of treatment.
By the way, it is important to note that in some cases, dry mouth during apnea is not caused by the disease itself, but by its treatment, namely, by incorrect selection of the degree of air humidification and heating of the humidifier. Fortunately, this problem can be easily solved by changing the device settings.
Constant thirst as a symptom of the disease
Often, the constant desire to drink water at night is one of the symptoms of a serious pathology of the internal organs. The most common diseases with this symptom include several.
- Primary aldosteronism. The pathology is more often diagnosed in women and is a benign neoplasm that develops in the adrenal glands. In addition to thirst, the disease is accompanied by severe hypertension.
The adrenal glands are located on top of the kidneys
- Secondary aldosteronism. It develops against the background of neoplasms accompanied by damage to the vessels of the adrenal glands. In addition to an irresistible desire to drink, there is a high temperature and difficulty urinating.
- Diabetes insipidus. Normally, a person produces a sufficient amount of antidiuretic hormone, which is designed to control the concentration of salts in the blood plasma. An insufficient amount of it leads to increased urination - this is one of the reasons why thirst occurs at night. The exact reasons for the development of this pathology have not yet been established.
- Diabetes. High blood glucose inevitably makes you want to drink a lot. The amount of fluid consumed by diabetics can be 3-5 or more liters per day. At the same time, metabolic processes are disrupted and immunity is reduced.
- Hyperparathyroidism. A disease associated with an imbalance in the content of a microelement such as calcium. Along with sharply increased urine output, severe thirst is observed, including at night.
- Cholera algide. It develops against the background of many intestinal infections, accompanied by uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea, leading to persistent dehydration.
- Stones in the kidneys. Stones formed in the kidneys cause obstructed urine flow and disrupt the functioning of the entire urinary system.
- Diseases of the heart and blood vessels. The desire to constantly drink is caused by coronary disease, arterial hypertension, and defects. This is due to impaired blood circulation in the body and persistent hypoxia of tissues that do not receive the proper amount of oxygen and nutrients.
If you are thirsty at night, you need to limit your salt intake
Suffering from night thirst, it is worth reviewing your diet. By eating less salt, fatty and spicy foods in the evening, you can almost certainly get rid of painful thirst not only at night, but also after waking up.
Treatment
Help before diagnosis
To prevent dehydration in the hot season, you need to reduce your time in the sun and consume about 2-2.5 liters of fluid per day. It is advisable to eliminate or limit alcohol intake as much as possible. It is recommended to avoid spicy and salty foods, especially at night. If severe thirst is constantly observed or the symptom is combined with a progressive deterioration of the condition, it is important to consult a specialist as soon as possible to determine the cause of polydipsia.
Avoid eating salty and spicy foods
Conservative therapy
The optimal drinking regime is selected after determining the origin of strong thirst. If endocrine disorders or massive blood loss are detected, fluid intake is not limited; in case of kidney pathology, it is necessary to strictly control fluid intake in order to prevent edema and overload of the heart. In case of repeated diarrhea or vomiting, rehydration is carried out using parenteral infusion of saline solutions. To treat the cause of polydipsia, the following are used:
- Antipyretics
. When body temperature increases above 38.5° C, drugs from the NSAID group are used, which inhibit the formation of endogenous pro-inflammatory factors and pyrogens. In cases of high fever, physical methods of cooling are indicated - rubbing, cold compresses. - Antihyperglycemic agents
. For type 2 diabetes mellitus, drugs are prescribed in tablets that increase the sensitivity of body cells to insulin and normalize lipid metabolism. Initial therapy involves taking biguanides or sulfonylureas. - Hormonal drugs
. A suitable insulin therapy regimen is selected for type 1 diabetes. To correct diabetes insipidus, replacement therapy with vasopressin analogues is required. For thyrotoxicosis, take Mercazolil, an inhibitor of the synthesis of thyroid hormones in the thyroid gland. - Antibacterial agents
. To treat pyelonephritis, purulent infections of the skin and internal organs, combinations of antibiotics are used. The drugs are selected empirically, taking into account the likely pathogens, and the treatment regimen is adjusted after receiving the culture results.
Surgery
The “gold standard” for the treatment of hyperparathyroidism is surgical removal of pathologically altered glands - parathyroidectomy. In case of extensive purulent lesions or large kidney cysts, surgical excision is performed within healthy tissue; an alternative method of treating abscesses is percutaneous puncture and aspiration of pus. To stop bleeding from a hollow organ, endoscopic coagulation of the damaged vessel or intraoperative ligation of the bleeding arteries is performed.
How to understand when it's time to see a doctor
If there are no objective reasons for night thirst (overeating, alcohol), and the symptom appears daily, medical attention is needed. The doctor will conduct a subjective (detailed medical history) and objective examination. A urine test is required to determine the excreted volume, the amount of calcium, sodium and potassium. The second mandatory study is a general blood test. Further testing depends on the specific symptoms that are bothering the patient and may include:
- Ultrasound of the kidneys or abdominal cavity;
- FGDS;
- plain radiography of the kidneys and urinary tract;
- biochemical blood test for hormones;
- blood for tumor markers, CT, MRI - if a malignant neoplasm is suspected.
As a rule, consultations with specialized specialists are required - only a complete examination will answer the question of why you want to drink water at night.
