Symptoms of diabetes commonly include increased thirst, blurred vision, frequent urination, and fatigue. Learn more about how symptoms may differ between type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes develops when your body cannot naturally keep your blood sugar levels within range. This leads to high blood sugar, which can bring on symptoms including increased thirst, frequent urination, and increased hunger.

While common symptoms are often shared between the different types of diabetes, they can present themselves in different ways that might be the same for everyone.

Diabetes symptoms are the result of high blood sugar levels in the body.

These symptoms develop suddenly in type 1 diabetes, but in type 2 diabetes, they often develop slowly over many years.

Common symptoms include:

Other diabetes symptoms

You can read about other diabetes-related symptoms that may develop, sometimes depending on whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes symptoms come on very quickly, as the body’s pancreas stops producing insulin.

This can happen over the course of weeks, or it can appear suddenly.

While type 1 was once known as “juvenile diabetes” because it often developed during childhood, the reality is that you can develop T1D at any age. This 2022 research found that more than half of all new T1D cases are diagnosed in adults.

Meanwhile, the symptoms of type 2 diabetes develop more slowlyTrusted Source than those of type 1 diabetes due to insulin resistance and the pancreas slowly losing the ability to produce enough insulin.

You could have type 2 diabetes for years without any symptoms. When symptoms do start, they’ll often be mild. It’s easy to dismiss them or mistake them for other conditions.

Over time, people with type 2 diabetes develop higher and higher levels of glucose in the blood, which can cause:


Diabetes misdiagnosis is possible

This 2021 researchTrusted Source by leading diabetes associations in Europe and the United States points out that as many as 40% of people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 30 years or older, had initially received a misdiagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

A misdiagnosis can happen for adults who are diagnosed with type 1, known as latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA)Trusted Source — sometimes referred to as type 1.5 diabetes. Some research estimates that about 10%Trusted Source of adults initially diagnosed with T2D actually have LADA.

You can discuss your diabetes management and care plan with your healthcare team, letting them know if a particular medication or care plan isn’t working as well as you’d like.

This can help inform your doctor and care team so they can better understand what type of diabetes you may be living with and what may be best for you.

Since the symptoms of type 1 diabetes come on so quickly, they’re generally severe and noticeable. For example, you might lose significant weight in just a few weeks. You might also have stomach pains and vomiting.

Additionally, because type 1 diabetes develops rapidly, your blood sugar might become very high before you can get a diagnosis and start treatment.

This can sometimes lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a medical emergency that may require immediate care.

Type 1 diabetes symptomsType 2 diabetes symptoms
develop quicklydevelop more slowly
are severeare typically more mild at first
can lead to a medical emergency called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)are less likely to lead to a medical emergency with diabetic ketoacidosis
are more common in children and adolescentsare more common in adults

Some diabetes symptoms only occur in women, or females at birth.

Diabetes can affect multiple body areas. This includes the following:

  • Eyes: Diabetes often causes blurry vision. Diabetes that isn’t managed well can lead to vision loss.
  • Skin: Diabetes can make it much harder for your body to heal cuts, scrapes, and other wounds. This can put you at a higher risk of infection.
  • Bladder: Diabetes can cause frequent urination and increase your risk of UTIs.
  • Feet: Diabetes can reduce blood flow to the feet, making it difficult to feel cuts and scrapes on them. It also reduces the body’s ability to heal those wounds.
  • Arms and legs: Diabetes can lead to diabetic neuropathy, pain, and numbness in your arms and legs.

The symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes start the same. However, type 2 diabetes symptoms typically come on slowly over several years and are often milder at first.

Type 1 symptoms develop rapidly over just a few weeks. They’re generally more severe.

Both types of diabetes can lead to additional symptoms over time that can affect your eyes, limbs, feet, and skin.