Courtney Jorstad  |  January 31, 2014

Category: Consumer News

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Signs of Diabetes in WomenRecent studies linking Lipitor to type-2 diabetes in women may have those taking the heart disease medication wondering if they’re at risk, and what the signs of diabetes in women are.

According to experts, there are about 24 million people in the United States that have type-2 diabetes, but only about 18 million have been diagnosed. That leaves 6 million Americans walking around with this debilitating disease who don’t know they have it.

Diabetes is known as the “silent killer” because the symptoms can be fairly subtle.

In general, diabetes means that a person has too much glucose, commonly known as blood sugar, which if it gets high enough can act like a poison — causing serious health problems. However, a healthy amount of glucose is considered vital to a person’s health because it is a major source of energy for muscles and tissues as well as the brain.

Anyone who thinks they may have diabetes should have a blood sugar test to verify. But there are symptoms and signs of diabetes that people should also pay attention to.

One sign of diabetes is increased urination combined with excessive thirst. These symptoms occur because the kidneys are working overtime to get rid of the extra glucose in the blood and the body is trying to replenish the lost fluids in response.

Someone who is developing diabetes may also experience rapid weight loss of about 10 to 20 pounds in a short amount of time. This can happen because the hormone insulin, which is supposed to process the glucose and get it into the body’s cells to provide energy, isn’t able to do its job. As a result, the body starts to think it’s starving and breaks down protein in the muscles for fuel.  This is not a healthy weight loss.

A diabetic will also experience excessive hunger pains which is caused by unstable glucose levels.

Another sign of diabetes is itchy skin, which can be caused by dry skin or poor circulation. Endocrinologist Dr. Maria Collazo-Clavell from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. says that when she sees “darkening of the skin around the neck or armpit area” it can be because the person has “an insulin resistance process occurring” and she wants “to check their blood sugar.”

Diabetes can damage the blood vessels as a result of the extra blood sugar working its way through veins and arteries, making it more difficult for diabetes patients to heal from infections, cuts and bruises. Blood is a key component of the healing process.

An increase in yeast infections in women, fatigue and irritability, blurry vision and tingling or numbness can all be signs that someone is developing diabetes.

According to Dr. Collazo-Clavell said that it’s the fatigue and irritability symptom that often brings patients into the office.

“When people have high blood sugar levels, depending on how long it’s been, they can get used to chronically not feeling well,” she explains.

Vision can get blurry because when glucose levels get high “it changes the shape of the lens and the eye.”

However, this symptom can be reversed once the blood sugar is regulated.

Tingling and numbness occurs because the excessive blood sugar damages the nerves, which Dr. Collazo-Clavell says can also be reversed if the damage occurred recently.

If someone has these symptoms and thinks they may have diabetes, the only way to know for sure is to have blood tests.

In general, Lipitor lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

Learn More

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.


Get Help – It’s Free

Join a Free Lipitor Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you’re a woman who was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes while taking Lipitor, or were diagnosed with diabetes within 90 days or less of your last dose of Lipitor, you may be eligible for compensation. See if you qualify by filling out the short form below.

An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you.

 

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.