5 Signs of 'Aging' That Could Mean You Have Diabetes

As we grow older, it's normal to feel sluggish or experience some hearing loss, right? Not quite. These seemingly typical signs of aging could actually be symptoms of type 2 diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, 29.1 million Americans had diabetes in 2012; of these, 8.1 million people were undiagnosed, meaning they may not have been aware they had the disease.

People age 45 and older are at highest risk. "A lot of people have prediabetes or diabetes for quite some time before it gets diagnosed," says Melissa Joy Dobbins, a registered dietitian and a diabetes educator and spokesperson for the American Association of Diabetes Educators. Because diabetes is a condition that progresses very gradually, "you could feel perfectly fine and have diabetes," she adds.

Before writing off the following symptoms as aging-related, consider that they may actually be warning signs of type 2 diabetes.

When people find it more difficult to hear conversations clearly, or their vision is increasingly out of focus when they read, they may simply chalk it up to the downsides of aging. However, research shows that people with diabetes are twice as likely to have hearing loss as people without the disease.

Diabetes harms blood vessels and nerves, including those found in the ears and eyes. "When the blood sugar is higher than what's normal, it damages your circulation," Dobbins says. Eyesight becomes impaired because high blood sugar changes the shape of the lens, the structure in the eye that is integral to focusing. Apart from diabetes, cataracts and retinopathy may also affect eyesight.

Older people may lack the energy they used to have, leading them to feel grouchy or irritable. But type 2 diabetes might explain exhaustion and a touchy mood in some individuals. With diabetes, glucose (sugar) builds up in the blood circulation before being secreted in urine rather than being ferried to your cells for energy. When this happens, Dobbins says, "we are going to feel tired, hungry, sluggish, and low energy, because that fuel pathway isn't working the way it's supposed to."

A study published in May 2016 in the journal PLoS One found that other factors — like depression, hypertension, impaired glycemic control, inflammation, and other heart and metabolic problems in older adults — are independently associated with an increased risk of diabetes.

People may urinate more often as they grow older, and diabetes could be a cause. For people with diabetes, sugar in the blood stays in the bloodstream rather than getting into the body's cells. "The only way to get [the sugar] out of the body is to flush it in the urine," says Dobbins, "and that dehydrates you and makes you really thirsty."

People with diabetes often try to quench extreme thirst by drinking soda or other sugary beverages, she adds, and this can trigger a vicious cycle. High blood sugar levels over prolonged periods of time can lead to kidney and microvascular damage.

Some people start shrinking as the years go by, and that weight loss might be attributable to aging. "But any sort of unexplained weight loss — if somebody is not trying to lose weight — really needs to be looked at," notes Dobbins. People with uncontrolled diabetes tend to lose weight because they're not getting all the fuel from the food they're eating are are losing these calories in their urine, she explains.

With aging, hands and feet might feel numb or tingle, skin may become dry and itchy, or wounds can take longer to heal. However, Dobbins says these signs could actually point to circulation damage caused by long-term diabetes or uncontrolled diabetes. "Many of these symptoms occur because the blood vessels and nerves are damaged by the excessive amounts of glucose," she says. This damage prevents nutrients, fluids, oils, and oxygen from getting where they need to go in the body, she says.

Given that the symptoms of diabetes can be subtle, it's essential to assess your risk or get tested for diabetes at your healthcare provider's office rather wait until an early sign is noticeable. "What we want people to do is look at the risk factors," Dobbins says. "Do you have a family history of diabetes? Are you overweight? Are you older? Do you have high blood pressure? Are you going to the doctor regularly? Are you getting the tests needed to check your cholesterol and fasting blood sugar?" Insight on these factors can help you determine whether your symptoms are simply signs of aging or are more serious.

You can avoid diabetes complications by being diagnosed as early as possible, and start consulting a healthcare provider and making the diet and lifestyle modifications necessary. "It really does make a difference if you can catch it early, prevent it, or delay it, because all the complications come from how uncontrolled the diabetes is and how long it has been uncontrolled," Dobbins says.

Learn more in our Diabetes Awareness Guide.