Excessive sweating, herpes, itchy skin...these are actually early symptoms of diabetes

If your skin is always itchy, this may be a "signal" that diabetes is sending you. Doctors in the Department of Endocrinology have found in clinical practice that many patients only learn that they have diabetes when they come to see a doctor because of recurrent skin infections of unknown causes.

Itchy skin

Since the skin of early diabetic patients is a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi, patients will also experience symptoms such as dry skin and itching. Female patients mainly experience genital itching, and other infections may occur after scratching the skin tissue.

Folliculitis

The blood sugar concentration in the early stage of diabetes patients is already higher than that of normal people, and the sugar content in the skin tissue is also high, which makes it easy for bacteria and fungi to breed and cause infection, the most common of which is folliculitis. A prickly-like inflammation may occur on the skin. These small prickly heat-like bumps contain pus and are painful when touched. They will heal after the pus is drained, but they will recur one after another. If not treated promptly, it can cause folliculitis, also known as furuncle.

Excessive sweating

Due to sugar metabolism disorders, nerve dysfunction, sympathetic nerve excitement, and abnormal sweat gland secretion, diabetic patients have moist and sweaty skin and sweat profusely at the slightest provocation. This may be a precursor to neuropathy, a complication of diabetes, and patients should pay sufficient attention to it.

Paresthesias

The skin of the limbs sometimes feels numb and burning, and some people also feel pain in their limbs, which is worse when putting on clothes or covering themselves with quilts. Long-term high blood sugar can cause neurological complications, but some patients still do not know they have diabetes after experiencing abnormal sensations.

Skin herpes

Diabetics have weak body resistance and are prone to skin infections. Some patients will develop blisters on their skin with clear fluid inside, which often appear on the hands and feet. Although the blisters heal within a few weeks, they may reappear.

In addition, yellow nodules and red face are also skin "signals" of diabetes, but these are rare in clinical practice. Experts remind that if you find the above abnormalities on your skin, you should go to a regular hospital for diabetes screening in time and receive early treatment to prevent serious complications.