The following symptoms and complaints may indicate type 1 diabetes mellitus:
Leading symptoms
- Polyuria (frequent urination)
- Polydipsia (great feeling of thirst)
- Weight loss (physiognomy/appearance: slim patients).
- Performance reduction
Associated symptoms
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Visual disturbances
- Delayed wound healing
- Pruritus (itching)
- Bacterial or mycotic (“fungal”) skin infections.
- Balanitis (acorn inflammation).
- Candidiasis (candiamycosis)
- Furunculosis (episodic repeated occurrence of numerous boils in different parts of the body).
- Vulvitis (inflammation of the external genital organs).
- Recurrent therapy-resistant infections such as:
- Dermatomycoses (fungal skin infections).
- Urinary tract infections
- Paresthesias (insensations) in the area of the feet and lower legs.
- Chronic wound (poorly healing wounds).
- Erectile dysfunction
- Amenorrhea – absence of menstruation for more than three months.
In circa 25% of cases, ketoacidotic coma is the first sign of type 1 diabetes mellitus (manifestation coma):
Symptoms of precoma
- Anorexia (loss of appetite).
- Nausea, vomiting
- Thirst
- Polydipsia (increased drinking)
- Polyuria (increased urination)
- Tendency to collapse
- Abdominal pain, severe – due to pseudoperitonitis (pseudoperitonitis diabetica).
- Acidotic breathing (Kussmaul breathing) – very deep and slowed, regular, rhythmic breathing with acetone odor (ketone bodies).
- Disturbances of consciousness
Symptoms of coma
- Disturbances of consciousness
- Desiccosis (dehydration)
- Tachycardia – too fast heartbeat: > 100 beats per minute.
- Hypotension – too low blood pressure
- Oliguria (urine output < 500 ml/24 h)
- Anuria (urine output < 100 ml/24 h)
- Glucosuria (glucose in the urine)
- Extinguishing intrinsic reflexes
- Cardiac arrhythmias, unspecified
- Hyperglycemia > 350 mg/dl (> 20 mmol/l)
- Ketonuria – ketone bodies in the urine.
- Ketonemia – increased Aufteten of ketone bodies in the blood.
- Metabolic acidosis – metabolic acidification of the blood.
- Anion gap > 12 mmol/l
Notes