Warning as three new diabetes symptoms are revealed – the signs you need to know

DIABETES patients have been warned to be on the lookout for three new symptoms – these are the signs you need to be aware of.

New research has shown that along with the common indicators for type 2 diabetes, sufferers should be aware of back pain, depression and osteoarthritis, after a link was discovered.

Researchers found these were among the five most common conditions when people were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Dr Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard, Head of Health Analytics at LCP called the findings “unexpected”.

Among the common indicators that people may be aware of are excessive tiredness, constantly feeling thirsty and unexplained weight loss, according to the NHS.

Those at risk from the condition should also be aware of high blood pressure and heart disease.

The study of 224,000 type 2 diabetes patients, carried out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), analytics firm LCP, and Imperial College London also revealed that retinopathy – disease of the retina – was now among the top five common comorbidities with those people with type 2 diabetes.

A comorbidity is defined as a separate illness or condition that a person might have alongside their primary illness.

The study showed that of the people with type 2 diabetes, 39.7 per cent suffered from back pain, 25.7 per cent were depressed and 15.7 per cent had osteoarthritis.

Currently, neither depression nor back pain are routinely considered in clinical or prevention guidelines for diabetes patients.

Researchers have now called for an urgent change in how the UK’s more than four million type 2 diabetes sufferers are treated.

Dr Pearson-Stuttard, the lead author of the study said: “While we expected hypertension and heart disease, known complications of diabetes, to be common in people living with type 2 diabetes, our findings that back pain, depression and osteoarthritis are so common was unexpected.

“This highlights the breadth of ill-heath faced by people living with type 2 diabetes yet these conditions are not part of routine clinical and prevention guidelines.

“As multimorbidity increases and the clinical needs of patients evolve and become more unequal, guidelines and care pathways must adapt to be both more holistic and target those with greatest need.

“This would improve the population’s health, inequalities and in turn economic prosperity.”