Complications of Diabetes

Diabetes is a life altering disease that once it is developed, there is no cure for it. It is chronic and can attack anytime. Aside from that, the prolonged disease of diabetes has many complications and many sufferers of diabetes have to deal with other diseases that come along with it. However, the patient’s life doesn’t have to end with diabetes. It is possible to delay the progression of the complications of diabetes by properly managing it. In some cases, patients do not develop complications at all. Patients can help delay and even stop its progression by incorporating a healthy lifestyle. However, the disease will stay with them forever. Keeping this in mind, the complications can be delayed or stopped as long as proper management of the disease is practiced.

Other Diseases That Are Caused By Diabetes

Although high blood pressure and heart problems are the usual complications many diabetics face, these are not the only problems the patients will have to deal with in their lifetime. Many other problems and complications may arise along the way as the disease lengthens itself through the years.

Diabetes is the disease where the patient experiences the rise of blood sugar levels. Over time, this won’t be the only problem the patient will face. The patient will have to deal with the complications that come along with the disease. Complications may include eye problems, nerve problems, heart problems, kidney problems, and skin problems. Diabetes can also lead to many kinds of infections and metabolic difficulties. Many diabetics eventually suffer from one or all of these problems.

Short Term Complications

Short term complications of diabetes include hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. Hyperglycemia is a diabetes complication where the rise of blood sugar levels in the body is excessive and almost uncontrollable. Hypoglycemia on the other hand is a diabetes complication where the blood sugar levels in the body are excessively and uncontrollably low. Both of these complications can lead to coma. However, in many cases, they can be managed.

Skin problem can be a common problem among people with diabetes. Diabetics have an increased chance of getting bacterial and fungal skin infection hence people with diabetes are more prone to skin allergies and other skin irritations. Another problem among diabetics is that their wounds don’t heal easily making them more prone to major skin problems.

Long Term Complications

One of the long term complications of diabetes is heart problem. People with diabetes are found to be more susceptible to heart problems because of the blockage of the blood vessels to the heart. When there is a difficulty of blood circulation to and from the heart, problems will arise in that area.

Stroke is another complication of people with diabetes. Again, this is a problem that arises because of the difficulty of blood vessels supplying blood to and from the brain. When there is a difficulty of blood circulation to the brain, stroke may arise as a result of the blockage of blood vessels.

It is possible to have eye problems among diabetics. Eye complications can slowly retard the eyesight and lead to total blindness. Some sufferers can become blind temporarily but some becomes blind permanently. It is called diabetic retinopathy.

One of the most common problems among diabetics is developing kidney disease. Kidney disease is something that a diabetic patient should look out for. Kidney disease that is caused by diabetes is called diabetic nephropathy. It is caused by damage of the blood vessels to the kidney. If not detected early on, it can lead to kidney failure which will require dialysis or kidney transplant. The difficult part of kidney failure is that it can go on for a long time without symptoms, hence patients don’t know they have kidney problem until it becomes a serious problem.

Another common diabetes complication is nerve damage. Nerve damage that is caused by diabetes is called diabetic neuropathy. The problem with nerve damage is that there is a loss of feeling in some parts of the body usually occurring on the feet and legs of the sufferer although it can occur in any part of the body. When a person doesn’t feel pain in a certain area because of decreased sensitivity, any damage in that part of the body will be ignored and go unnoticed and untreated until a major problem occurs. A decreased sensitivity increases the chance of developing infection, inflammation, and many other major problems. Nerve damage also allows a major problem to be overlooked and undetected that can result to amputation.