can it be a symptom of diabetes? – breaking latest news

I have read that diabetes symptoms can include increased urination, hunger and thirst. How to know if such signs are worrying?

He answers Andrea Ghisellipresident of the Italian Society of Food Sciences (GO TO THE FORUM)

The diagnosis of diabetes is not made by asking the patient how many times he urinates and how much he drinks, because they are common symptoms that also depend on the intake of water, however not very specific and also associated with other conditions or diseases. You need a blood glucose measurement or other parameters, such as glycosylated hemoglobin. The word diabetes originates from the Greek verb diabaino which means to pass through, precisely because hyperglycemia determines a considerable increase in urinary volume and an equally increased water supply, since what comes out must then return. It is not possible to determine who the first actor is, that is, if you urinate a lot because you drink a lot or vice versa. It is not even said that a diabetic drinks and urinates a lot, because it depends on metabolic and blood sugar control: if the latter is normal, you do not have abundant diuresis. Hunger is certainly not a typical or significant symptom for the diagnosis of diabetes and moreover, even if it were, it is not so easy to identify the conditions that determine an increase in appetite. Symptomatology can guide, but then there are specific tests to make a correct diagnosis. So if you suspect that increased thirst, urination rate / frequency, and appetite don’t have a valid reason to support it, you should talk to your doctor.