Complications
of diabetes occur due to long standing
high blood glucose levels. High blood
glucose levels can speed up the clogging
of blood vessels supplying many organs of
the body. Although strict control of blood
sugar makes complications less likely,
even the very best control may not be able
to eliminate all complications! Your risk
of developing complications increases with
the length of time you have diabetes.
Diabetes mainly affects the eyes,
kidneys, nerves, large and small blood
vessels and skin.
Diabetes is
one of the leading causes of blindness in
adults. Retinopathy due to changes in
small blood vessels that nourish the eye
can lead to irreversible damage to the
eyes.
In order to minimize the risk of
developing eye problems you should,
- keep
your blood sugar under control
- Maintain
normal blood pressure
- Get your
eyes checked at least once a year
Diabetes is
recognized as one of the leading causes of
chronic kidney failure all over the world.
Long term diabetes damages the tiny blood
vessels in the kidney filtering system. So
filtering of waste products become less
and proteins leak out into urine. Protein
in the urine is the first sign of kidney
disease
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Nerves |
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Complications due to nerve damage is
very common in diabetics. It happens
in both type I and II diabetes. High
blood sugar damages nerve fibers and
give rise to various complications.
One may experience numbness, tingling
and burning pain of feet especially at
night. Loss of sensation lead to
trauma and foot ulcers. When the
special nerve fibers supplying skin,
stomach, bowels bladder and sexual
organs are involved various
troublesome symptoms occur. They
include: |
- Unusual
warmth or cold due to inappropriate
response of blood vessels in the skin.
- Watery
diarrhoea often at night
-
Incomplete emptying of bladder and
frequent urinary tract infections
- Sexual
dysfunction including impotence
- Sudden
drop in blood pressure when standing
from the sitting position
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Blood Vessels |
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Long
standing diabetes affect large and
small blood vessels by thickening and
hardening their walls and clogging
them. This reduces the flow of blood
to various organs.
When this happens to vessels supplying
the heart, it can give rise to a heart
attack. If the arteries supplying the
brain are diseased and blocked, a
stroke is inevitable.
The blood vessels that supply the legs
and feet can also get affected. When
it happens one may find it difficult
to walk due to claudication pain and
cramps and wounds take a long time to
heal or may not heal at all. |
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