Itchy skin, tingling hands or slow-healing cuts? These may be warning signs of diabetes: expert

PUTNEY, U.K. - Oct. 5, 2023 - PRLog -- Thousands of people are potentially mistaking the warning signs of diabetes for harmless skin conditions. Itchy skin, tingling hands or a cut that takes a while to heal are usually given a quick scratch or a sticking plaster. However, they are also little-known symptoms of type 2 diabetes.

London Medical Laboratory's latest analysis reveals one million people are likely to have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes in the UK. This invisible killer shortens lives by up to ten years. LML's new campaign, 'Give the finger to diabetes', aims to identify undiagnosed cases with a simple fingerprick blood test.

Leading blood testing expert, Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan (MBChB), Clinical Lead at London Medical Laboratory, says: 'The chances are your itchy skin is down to dryness, that tingling feeling is because you sat in an odd position and that cut that refuses to heal is because it has been covered by a plaster for too long. However, that may not be the case.

Dry, itchy skin:

Poor circulation can cause skin dryness and itchy skin, and diabetes could well be the cause. Chronic high blood sugar (glucose) levels affect blood circulation by damaging the lining of your small blood vessels, impeding circulation.

Tingling or numbness in hands, legs or feet:

The impairment of blood circulation also leads to nerve damage, which may lead to pain, tingling or numbness. Half of all people with diabetes have nerve damage, known as neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy can't be reversed, so early diagnosis is vital.

Cuts that won't heal:

Damaged blood vessels also result in slow wound healing and greater infection risk. Coupled with nerve damage, wound complications may often go unnoticed until they have progressed. Of most concern are foot ulcers. Unhealed ulcers are the leading cause of diabetes-related amputations.

'We've only looked at three, lesser-known, symptoms of diabetes. There are many more hidden signs. However, one simple, diagnostic blood test, either with your GP or as a fingerprick test (https://www.londonmedicallaboratory.com/product/diabetes-...) taken at home, will tell you if you have the condition before any symptoms develop. The "Diabetes - Diagnosis and Monitoring test" can be taken at home through the post, or at one of the many drop-in clinics that offer these tests across London and nationwide in over 95 selected pharmacies and health stores. For full details, see: https://www.londonmedicallaboratory.com/product/diabetes-check