What are the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes?

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The four common symptoms are:

being thirsty a lot of the time.
passing large amounts of urine.
tiredness.
weight loss.

The reason why you make a lot of urine and become thirsty is because glucose leaks into your urine which 'pulls out' extra water through the kidneys.

Symptoms may develop so gradually that you can become used to being thirsty and tired. You may not recognise that you are ill for some time. Some people also develop blurred vision and frequent infections such as recurring thrush.

However, some people with Type 2 diabetes do not have any symptoms if the blood glucose level is not too high. However, even if you do not have symptoms, you should still have treatment to reduce the risk of developing complications.

How is diabetes diagnosed?

A simple 'dipstick' test can detect glucose in a sample of urine. If you have glucose in your urine, it is likely that you have diabetes. (Urine does not normally contain glucose. If the blood glucose level goes above a certain level, then some glucose 'spills' through the kidneys into the urine.)

However, some people have kidneys that are more 'leaky' than usual, and glucose may leak into urine with a normal blood level. Therefore, if your urine contains any glucose you should have a blood test to measure the blood level of glucose. This can confirm, or rule out, diabetes. The blood test is usually done in a morning before you eat anything so it is a 'fasting sample'.