While diabetes symptoms are wide-ranging, infections often end up being the symptom that finally gets people through the door, according to Dr Hussain Ahmad, an experienced hospital doctor and consultant practitioner in the UK.
"Women especially might have repeated thrush infections or urinary tract infections. Small cuts take ages to heal," he told GB News.
"These happen because high blood sugar creates an environment where bacteria and yeast thrive, plus it impairs immune function."
His advice is clear for anyone noticing several warning signs at once.
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"If you're experiencing several of these symptoms together, especially the fatigue, thirst, and frequent urination, get your blood sugar checked," Dr Ahmad continued.
"Don't wait until symptoms become severe. A simple blood test can catch diabetes early when it's much easier to manage."
The doctor explained that many people dismiss the early warning signs without realising what's happening inside their bodies.
"People come in saying they're tired, but it's not normal tiredness, it's this overwhelming fatigue that doesn't improve with rest," he explained.
"They blame work stress or getting older when really their cells aren't getting the glucose they need for energy. There's plenty of sugar in the bloodstream, but it's not being used properly."
The constant thirst and trips to the bathroom get brushed off too easily.
"They don't connect having to get up three times a night to use the bathroom with anything medical," Dr Ahmad noted.
Vision problems are another commonly overlooked sign.
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"They might even get new glasses when actually the problem is fluctuating blood sugar affecting the lens," Dr Ahmad noted. "By the time vision changes become persistent, diabetes has often been there for months."
The findings come as a major Danish study has revealed just how serious the heart risks are for people living with diabetes.
Researchers examined all 54,028 deaths recorded in Denmark during 2010, using national registers along with death certificates, hospital records and autopsy reports to identify sudden cardiac deaths.
Out of those deaths, 6,862 were classified as sudden cardiac death, where someone died unexpectedly from a presumed heart cause, highlighting a stark pattern.
People with type 1 diabetes were 3.7 times more likely to experience sudden cardiac death compared to the general population.
For those with type 2 diabetes, the risk jumped even higher to 6.5 times that of people without the condition.
The danger was most pronounced among younger adults.
Those under 50 with diabetes faced roughly seven times the risk of sudden cardiac death compared to people the same age without the condition.
The study also looked at how much life expectancy was affected.
On average, those with type 1 diabetes lived 14.2 fewer years than people without the condition, while type 2 diabetes was linked to 7.9 fewer years of life.
Stable blood glucose can help regulate hunger | GETTYSudden cardiac death alone accounted for 3.4 years lost in type 1 and 2.7 years in type 2 diabetes.
The researchers noted this was observational research, meaning it shows a strong connection but cannot prove diabetes directly causes these deaths.
Factors like ischaemic heart disease, low blood sugar episodes and cardiac autonomic neuropathy likely play a role.
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