Diabetes symptoms in men are often subtle to begin with. However, due to the many potential chronic complications of the disorder, it is important to recognize these diabetic symptoms in men. It is worth mention that diabetes does not discriminate between genders.
Diabetes Symptoms In Men – What To Look For?
The typical diabetic symptoms include increased urination. This is often caused by the body’s ability to attempt to get rid of high blood sugar through kidney. The frequent urination inevitably also prompts the body to counteract by increasing fluid intake. Hence, pay attention if sign of excessive thirst or polydipsia is displayed.
Some men show signs of fatigue and blurry vision. These are very non-specific symptoms of diabetes but one must not ignore. The best way to confirm a diagnosis of diabetes symptoms in men is to get fasting glucose test or HbA1c (diabetes A1c) test done by medical professionals.
Diabetes greatly increased the risk of getting yeast infection around the groin area for men. Urinary tract infections can be more frequent too for men with diabetes. Personal hygiene is not the root cause of these, but rather the disease itself predisposes them to these symptoms. Frequent urge to urine, pain while passing urine, cloudy or reddish urine and in men, sometimes fullness in rectum are common signs of urinary tract infections. Due to the men’s anatomy, urinary tract infections usually only localized on the lower part of the urinary tract systems and seldom spread to bladder and kidney.
Neuropathy is the medical term to describe the damages to small blood vessels caused by diabetes. As a result, it is not uncommon to see men with diabetes have problems with numbness and tingling sensations of the fingers and feet.
To complicate matters, neuropathy is believed to be the primary reason causing erectile dysfunction or more commonly known as impotence in diabetic men. However, a thorough medical check up is warranted to determine the underlying cause. Unofficial figures demonstrated men with diabetes have more than two to three times of getting erectile dysfunction than those not affected by diabetes. Treatments include psychological counseling, medications, injection to penis or surgery.
Another specific diabetes symptom in men is retrograde ejaculation. It is a condition where semen instead of flowing out from tip of penis, back flow into bladder and passes out through urination. Damage to nerves is one of the possible culprits for this. Men with diabetes might notice less semen during ejaculation or infertility. A urology specialist will be needed to treat retrograde ejaculation.
Diabetes also impairs the body’s immune system that wounds will take longer to heal. The nerve damage sometimes makes matters worse by reducing the feel of pain at wound sites. Men with diabetes occasionally do not realize the presence of wounds simply because they did not feel the pain when the wounds were inflicted. Special care is essential to help wounds heal properly.
Low hemoglobin or anemia has been associated with diabetes. The lower hemoglobin may reduce oxygen delivery capacity to other parts of body from lung. Consequent to that is fatigue. Fatigue is common sign of diabetes symptoms in men.
Diabetes symptoms in men differ from the female counterpart from the anatomically and hormonally too. Early diagnosis is still the best way to prevent diabetes complications. Pay attention to diabetic signs and symptoms mentioned and if in doubt, to consult medical professionals.