Classically, the initial symptoms in young and middle age people with Type 2 diabetes are a high level of thirst and appetite and "frequent urination"; and those exact same symptoms may occur with elderly people who are near to getting diabetes.

However, the difference is that the above-mentioned typical symptoms "may be replaced or accompanied by episodes of confusion, incontinence, and dryness of the eyes and mouth," Kagan continues. Another bit of confusion for doctors seeking signs of diabetes is the fact that the elderly, when their blood sugar levels are high, they are "…less likely to spill sugar into their urine, and as a result, "many elderly-onset diabetics go undiagnosed" (203). There are estimates that as many as 2.4 million people (many elderly) have diabetes but are unaware they have it, Kagan explains.

From a technical point-of-view, the commonly used method of diagnosis, which is "repeated fasting glucose levels,"...
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