Type 2 diabetes can be easy to ignore, especially in the early
stages when you’re feeling fine. But diabetes affects many
major organs, including your heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes
and kidneys. Controlling your blood sugar levels can help
prevent these complications.
Although long-term complications of diabetes develop gradually,
they can eventually be disabling or even life-threatening.
Some of the potential complications of diabetes include:
increases the risk of various cardiovascular problems, including
coronary artery disease with chest pain (angina), heart attack,
stroke, narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and high blood
pressure. In fact, according to a 2007 study, the risk of stroke
more than doubles within the first five years of being treated
for type 2 diabetes. About 75 percent of people who have
diabetes die of some type of heart or blood vessel disease,
according to the American Heart Association.
of the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that nourish your nerves,
especially in the legs. This can cause tingling, numbness,
burning or pain that usually begins at the tips of the toes or
fingers and gradually spreads upward. Poorly controlled blood
sugar can eventually cause you to lose all sense of feeling in
the affected limbs. Damage to the nerves that control digestion
can cause problems with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or
constipation. For men, erectile dysfunction may be an issue.
tiny blood vessel clusters that filter waste from your blood.
Diabetes can damage this delicate filtering system. Severe
damage can lead to kidney failure or irreversible end-stage
kidney disease, requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant.
retina (diabetic retinopathy), potentially leading to blindness.
Diabetes also increases the risk of other serious vision conditions,
such as cataracts and glaucoma.
the feet increases the risk of various foot complications. Left
untreated, cuts and blisters can become serious infections.
Severe damage might require toe, foot or even leg amputation.
susceptible to skin problems, including bacterial and fungal
infections. Gum infections also may be a concern, especially if
you have a history of poor dental hygiene.
mineral density, increasing your risk of osteoporosis.
Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. The poorer your
blood sugar control, the greater the risk appears to be. So what
connects the two conditions? One theory is that cardiovascular
problems caused by diabetes could contribute to dementia by
blocking blood flow to the brain or causing strokes. Other
possibilities are that too much insulin in the blood leads to
brain-damaging inflammation, or lack of insulin in the brain
deprives brain cells of glucose.
Next post: Tests & Diagnosis
Type 2 diabetes can be easy to ignore, especially in the early
stages when you're feeling fine. But diabetes affects many
major organs....
Type 2 diabetes can be easy to ignore, especially in the early
stages when you're feeling fine. But diabetes affects many
major organs....
Type 2 diabetes can be easy to ignore, especially in the early
stages when you're feeling fine. But diabetes affects many
major organs....
