How Do People Know if They Have It?

People can have diabetes without knowing it because the symptoms aren't always obvious and they can take a long time to develop. Type 1 diabetes may come on gradually or suddenly.
When a person first has type 1 diabetes, he or she may:
pee a lot because the body tries to get rid of the extra blood sugar by passing it out of the body in the urine
drink a lot to make up for all that peeing
eat a lot because the body is hungry for the energy it can't get from sugar
lose weight because the body starts to use fat and muscle for fuel
feel tired all the time
Also, girls who have developed diabetes are more likely to get vaginal yeast infections before they're diagnosed and treated.
If these early symptoms of diabetes aren't recognized and treatment isn't started, chemicals can build up in the blood and cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, breathing problems, and even loss of consciousness. Doctors call this diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA.
There's good news, though — getting treatment can control or stop these diabetes symptoms from happening and reduce the risk of long-term problems. Doctors can say for sure if a person has diabetes by testing urine and blood samples for glucose. If the doctor suspects that a kid or teen has diabetes, he or she may send the person to see a pediatric endocrinologist (pronounced: pee-dee-ah-trik en-doh-krih-nah-leh-jist) — a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating children and teens living with diseases of the endocrine system, such as diabetes and growth problems.