If you don't know the answer to this question but feel you have cause to wonder, that's probably reason enough to see a doctor. In its early stages, when it's easiest to control, diabetes can be sneaky and silent, slowly causing damage throughout your body without obvious symptoms. But if you're alert to subtle signs, you can catch the disease at the outset and get a jump on beating it back.

It's human nature not to look for problems if they haven't already found you—which explains why between one-third and one-half of people with diabetes don't know they have it. According to the American College of Endocrinology, half of all people who finally go to their doctor to be tested have already developed some degree of complications.
How can you recognize when diabetes is at your door? There are three fundamental ways.