Diabetes UK estimates that more than 5.8 million people in the UK are living with diabetes, an all-time high. Of these, nearly 4.6 million have a formal diagnosis, while around 1.3 million may have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.
Doctor Mohan Sekeram, known as @docmerton on TikTok, has highlighted three 'red flag' symptoms that could indicate the condition. The first is frequent urination, particularly waking multiple times during the night. This may occur because the kidneys are working harder to flush excess sugar from the bloodstream.
The second symptom is excessive thirst that is not quenched by drinking more than four litres of water a day. This can be a sign of elevated blood sugar levels. The third red flag is persistent fatigue, where individuals feel too weak to carry out everyday tasks or feel exhausted after eating.
Dr Amir Khan, speaking on the podcast 'No Appointment Necessary', also identified tiredness as the most common presenting symptom of type 2 diabetes. He noted that when sugar cannot enter cells for energy, the kidneys work overtime to remove surplus sugar, leading to feelings of weakness and exhaustion.
