Symptoms of diabetes can be missed in older people.
Diabetes is often missed in older people because its presenting symptoms may be non-specific (for example, low energy levels, falls, dizziness, confusion and chronic infection in the genito-urinary tract, skin or mouth) and normal ageing is associated with lower levels of blood insulin. Diabetes in older people may not be accompanied by the very high plasma glucose levels that cause the classic symptoms of thirst and increased hunger. These undiagnosed older people are, however, still at risk of death and disease from vascular complications.