Protect Your Health: Severe Complications of Diabetes
Preventing diabetes complications and lowering high blood sugar are the goals of diabetes treatment. Find out how to avoid problems like diabetes and heart disease, diabetes neuropathy, and other dangers.
Medically reviewed by Farrokh Sohrabi, MD
Without proper treatment, havingtype 2 diabetes and high blood sugar puts you at risk for many complications of diabetes. In fact, the complications of diabetes are a leading cause of all cases of heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and lower limb amputation. However,controlling blood sugar levels can greatly reduce your risk for all complications of diabetes.
“Complications of diabetes are due to blood vessel damage from high blood sugar,” says Kevin M. Pantalone, DO, an endocrinologist and diabetes expert at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. "Problems stemming from small blood vessel damage, called microvascular complications, can cause damage to the kidneys, nerves, and eyes. Problems from large blood vessel disease, called macrovascular complications, can cause coronary artery disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease."
Diabetes and Cardiovascular Risks: Heart Disease and Stroke
Damage to blood vessels that supply the heart is the most common cause of death in people with diabetes. Diabetes can also damage blood vessels that supply the brain, causing stroke, another serious complication that can occur when diabetes is not controlled. According to the American Diabetes Association:
- About 70 percent of people with diabetes who are age 65 or older die from heart disease.
- About 15 percent of people with diabetes age 65 or older die of a stroke.
- Both heart disease and stroke are up to four times more common in those who have diabetes than in those who don't.
People who are 65 or older and those with high blood sugar are at increased risk for heart disease and stroke. Other risk factors include high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which are also more common in people with diabetes. The strong link between diabetes and heart disease means it’s important to manage diabetes and follow anutritious diet.
Diabetes and Kidney Disease
Almost half of all people diagnosed with kidney failure have diabetes — making diabetes the leading cause of kidney failure. Small blood vessel damage in the kidneys can lead to kidney failure. In addition to high blood sugar, high blood pressure increases the risk for kidney failure.
As blood vessels in the kidneys become damaged, the kidneys lose their ability to filter blood properly. This results in loss of proteins in the urine, which is an early sign of kidney damage. Your doctor can check for proteins in your urine with simple urine testing.
Diabetic Neuropathy and Amputations
Damage to nerves, called neuropathy, is caused by chronic high blood sugar and high blood pressure. Nerve damage can cause symptoms all over your body, but one of the most commonly affected areas is the feet. You may feel symptoms like tingling, burning, and numbness.
A dangerous chain reaction can develop when numbness of the feet occurs. Diabetes neuropathy can lead to injuries that you may not notice until they become infected. Because people with diabetes have a harder time fighting off infections, sometimes the infections can become so serious that amputation becomes necessary. Fortunately, by caring for your feet and examining them every day, you can avoid such an outcome.
Consider these statistics:
- Up to 70 percent of people with diabetes develop some form of diabetic neuropathy.
- More than 60 percent of lower limb amputations not caused by trauma are due to diabetes.
- The risk of amputation is about 15 to 25 times higher for people with diabetes than it is for people who don't have diabetes.
Last Updated: 10/15/2013
This section created and produced exclusively by the editorial staff of EverydayHealth.com. © 2014 EverydayHealth.com; all rights reserved.
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