Diabetes is often called a “silent” disease because there are many symptoms, but they don't typically appear until blood sugar levels are grossly elevated. Often, when the disease could initially be diagnosed, there are rarely any symptoms. It's important to understand and spot diabetes symptoms so you can begin treatment as soon as possible.
That being said, it is also highly subjective to the patient. While there is a strict diagnostic criterion, which we’ll discuss in great detail, no two people are alike. What I mean by this is that patient A may have symptoms when their A1C has reached 7.8%, while patient B may not have symptoms until their A1C has reached 11.2%.
As a healthcare provider, when I say subjective, I mean that we have to take it for the patient’s word. So, if the patient says, “Well, I haven’t had any symptoms until three weeks ago!”