Association of symptoms of type 2 diabetic patients with severity of disease, obesity, and blood pressure

OBJECTIVE - The symptoms of 430 type 2 diabetic patients were determined by a self-administered questionnaire before entry into the U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Entry into the trial followed 2 months of dietary treatment for newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes. Forty symptoms with five levels of severity were included in the questionnaire. A complaint rate was computed as the sum of symptom scores divided by the number of symptom questions answered. RESULTS - The complaint rate was independently and positively related to BMI, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and being a woman. Three symptoms-presence of dry mouth (P < 0.001), thirst (P < 0.01), and stomach pain (P = 0.02)-were related to FPG independent of sex, age, BMI, or blood pressure. Only dry mouth was related to HbA(1c) (P = 0.05). Complaints of shortness of breath, swollen ankles, headaches, heartburn, sweating, wheezing, nocturia, thirst, and diarrhea increased with BMI independently of other variables. A complaint of cold extremities decreased with BMI. Heartburn, weakness of limbs, and hot flushes were positively related to blood pressure, and unsteadiness was negatively related. CONCLUSIONS - The symptoms reported by patients with type 2 diabetes increased with FPG and markedly with BMI. The symptoms associated with obesity have been underestimated in the past.