World Diabetes Day – look out for the four Ts of diabetes

On World Diabetes Day, Medical Specialist Group consultant physician Dr Kate Allen reminds people about common diabetes symptoms to look out for.

These are the “4 Ts of diabetes.”:

Thirst. Are you drinking far more water than usual?

Toilet. Are you passing far more urine than usual?

Tired. Do you feel washed out with no energy?

Thinner. Are you losing weight despite eating your usual diet?

Dr Allen says: 'All these symptoms could indicate high glucose at the onset of diabetes. If you are concerned, please see your GP as soon as possible. Your GP can do a simple test to detect high glucose and offer you immediate advice.

‘It is over 100 years since the first insulin injections were successfully given to people. So much has changed since that momentous breakthrough, but diabetes is still a significant challenge for people to live with and stay well each day.

‘For people living with type 1 diabetes, we should soon find out whether we can start using the latest technology of closed-loop insulin pumps. This is the closest we have ever come to having systems that behave like an artificial pancreas gland and carry the promise of significant improvement in people’s quality of life and reducing the risk of developing diabetes-related complications.

‘This year, we have also seen the publication of an important document entitled “Language matters”, which reminds us that when we speak about diabetes, we are referring to people living with a very challenging long-term medical condition. Describing “people living with diabetes” is a positive approach and feels different from describing “diabetics”. This small change puts people first, not defining them by their medical condition.’