Diabetes Complications - The Top 5 Problems Caused by the Disease

Most people do not like to dwell on the negative, but diabetes complications create real problems for people that cannot be ignored. If for no other reason, the following list can help you or a love one focus on good blood sugar management and avoid these problems altogether. So without further ado, here are the Top 5 Problems caused by diabetes.

Cardiovascular Diseases: Incredibly, heart disease and strokes account for almost 65% of all diabetic deaths. Diabetics are almost twice as likely to suffer from these afflictions as non-diabetics. So what causes this huge problem?

Diabetics tend to have higher blood glucose levels. Higher glucose levels can raise the level of LDL cholesterol in one's blood, causing the arteries to harden or narrow. Narrow or hardened blood vessels can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and peripheral artery disease (PAD). Almost 74% of adult diabetic's suffer from high blood pressure or use prescription medication for hypertension.

Kidney Disease: Approximately 44% of all kidney failures in the United States occur in diabetics. Kidney disease is very gradual, normally occurring over decades. Mysteriously, there is no real consensus on what causes the higher kidney disease rate in diabetics. The only agreement amongst scientists is that there appears to be a link between elevated blood glucose levels and high blood pressure.

Diabetic Neuropathy: Nervous system damage may be the scariest of all Top 5 complications. While nerve damage is not usually fatal, it does affect nearly 60%-70% of diabetics in one form or another. This is a massive number of people. Neuropathy damage differs widely both in severity and type of affliction. A person's extremities are often adversely affected. Reduced sensation or even pain in feet, arms and/or legs, or hands is fairly common. Severe nerve damage can also lead to amputations.

Besides damage to one's extremities, the autonomous nervous system, which controls breathing, sexual function (men and women), circulation, urination, digestion and temperature regulation is also commonly affected.

Diabetic Retinopathy: Diabetic eye disease results in approximately 12,000 to 24,000 cases a year and is the leading cause of blindness in adults aged 20 to 74. How is this caused? You guessed it, high blood glucose. Over time, the increased glucose in the blood damages the small blood vessels in the eye. Cataracts and glaucoma are common and in severe cases, blindness can result.

Dental Complications: Almost 30% of diabetics have a severe case of periodontal disease. In fact, the risk of a diabetic developing gum disease is almost twice that of non-diabetics. Causes? High Blood Sugar. Bacteria in the mouth love glucose. The higher your blood glucose, the more of a feeding frenzy the bacteria have in your mouth. Clearly, this is not a pretty picture.

There you have it, the Top 5 problems caused by diabetes. If you have diabetes, good blood sugar management is critical to lowering your chances of developing these complications. Please see your doctor to make sure you are doing everything you can to stay healthy and decrease your risk.

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Diabetic Sufferers! Ignore Diabetic Neuropathy at Your Peril

Diabetic neuropathy is a disease; yes a disease of the peripheral nerves and not to be dismissed as something trivial. This condition can lead to serious complications, causes weakness and numbness.

You ignore this at your peril; it does not matter whether the condition is acute or chronic. Diabetics, who do not control their diabetes, are in the highest risk category of developing diabetic neuropathy. Be alert to the problem, for nerve disorders for diabetics can lead to serious ailments, so be aware of this horrendous condition, it is a dysfunction of peripheral nerves.

Prevention.

The peripheral nervous system is the system outside the brain and spinal cord.

The best preventive measure against diabetic neuropathy is to control the blood glucose levels to as normal as possible.

The feet are a vulnerable part and those with a higher risk of diabetic neuropathy, should be seen regularly by podiatrist/chiropodist and wear comfortable and fitting footwear. Even if you are not in a high risk factor, you must check your feet regularly and visit your podiatrist/chiropodist often. You don't see the underneath of your feet as a normal everyday occurrence.

One of the many problems of a diabetic patient is the numbness of the feet, and because you don't often see the bottom of your feet sores and ulcers could be playing havoc, you may not notice this because you don't feel this. Check your feet daily, and make regular appointments to see your podiatrist/chiropodist. They will treat the nails, hard skin, calluses and nip in the bud other serious problems that may occur.

It is important to check your feet regularly, as lower limb amputations are directly linked to the unseen problems that occur in your feet, through basically carelessness. So please check your feet regularly to save untold misery. Regular checks that's it.

Wear perfectly fitting comfortable shoes, if you are walking, jogging or running. If you unfortunately get blisters attend to them right away before they get infected.

You must give priority to looking after your feet even if you are not in the high risk category.

All diabetics are susceptible to foot problems. Diabetics are prone to a reduced sense of touch, as you need food daily, make it a point to check your feet daily, make this a daily habit.

At present there is no medication to treat the reduced sense of touch.

Be in touch with your physician or doctor and pay attention to all the programmes vetted and organised by the different branches of medicine that hopefully controls your diabetes

Cause and symptoms

Diabetic neuropathy is caused by a prolonged high blood glucose level. If the blood glucose levels rise above a certain level, the nerves throughout the body begin to be damaged.

See your physician or doctor immediately, you notice burning, tingling or numbness in your feet or hands. You will be tested in hospital for neuropathy.

If the diagnosis is acute neuropathy, it could disappear when your diabetes is brought under control. But chronic neuropathy has more serious implications.

The most common form of neuropathy in the sensory system is the loss of feeling in the lower limbs. Insensitivity to touch is far less in the hands and arms, but occurs more often in the feet and legs. This insensitivity may not cause pain when walking, but the loss of feeling makes you unaware of any immediate damage to the feet. The wearing of tight fitting footwear, wrong type of footwear can cause foot ulcers, which you were probably unaware.

Always check your feet whenever you remove your footwear, if there is a problem attend to it right away.

Neuropathy in the inner organs, namely the autonomic nervous system, can cause dizziness, especially if you stand up too quickly. Sometimes after a meal you may experience nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, difficulty in passing urine and low and behold the dreaded constipation, and of course impotence for men.

The best medicine against diabetic neuropathy is to control your blood sugar levels and try to keep it to normal levels.

It is your body and your health, so look after them and if you do get problems see your physician or doctor immediately, because like everything else diabetic neuropathy can be controlled.

Diabetes is a horrendous disease, so don't let it get out of control. Take the necessary precautions and you can still live a relatively normal life. Take care.

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Take Better Care of Yourself - Complications Arising From Untreated and Mismanaged Diabetes

Learn about both the short term and long term complications that can arise from the mismanagement of diabetes in order to avoid irreparable damage.

Short Term:

Diabetic Ketoacidosis- While this is a short term complication it is also potentially fatal. Diabetic Ketoacidosis occurs when there is a rapid build-up of impurities (ketones) in the blood causing acid in the blood. The patient becomes dangerously dehydrated leading to potential coma and death. Immediate treatment by rehydration and insulin dosing to replace the electrolyte balance and flush the ketones from the blood can help the patient make a full recovery. This condition often requires admission to the hospital for proper treatment and assessment of metabolic damage to the system following recovery.

Yeast Infections- Both oral (Thrush) and vaginal yeast infections occur more frequently in patients with diabetes due to the increased levels of sugar in the saliva and urine. Thrush will present as an opaque white film on the tongue and interior of the mouth and unlike milk or dairy residue cannot be scrapped off without bleeding. The symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection are itching, burning, redness and an abnormal discharge. However, because many different vaginal infections and diseases can present in the same way, it is imperative to have a doctor correctly identify the source of the infection to ensure that you are treating it with the correct medication. Properly controlling your blood sugar and regulating your fluid levels is the best prevention for yeast infections. Prompt detection and doctor approved treatment can provide relief of the symptoms and a speedy recovery.

High Blood Pressure- Also known as hypertension, can lead to long term issues such as heart disease and stroke when left untreated. High blood pressure control through weight loss, exercise, healthy food choices and medications is an essential part of a healthy diabetic lifestyle. Although a serious concern for diabetics, high blood pressure is a treatable problem when it is detected early and the patient commits to blood pressure monitoring.

Diabetic Ulcers- This is a fancy term for open sores that occur due to diabetic neuropathy, slow wound healing and infections that are aggravated by poor circulation. There is a direct link between diabetic ulcers and a failure to properly control blood sugar levels. Treatment involves antibiotics for the infections, proper bandaging and wound care and potentially amputation of the affected limb when the wounds continue to progress despite medical care. Amputations can often be avoided through diligent attention to foot care and fastidious treatment of even the smallest cut or abrasion, regular exercising to strengthen the circulatory system and maintaining balanced levels of blood glucose levels.

Long Term:

Diabetic Nephropathy- The kidneys begin to malfunction and stop processing protein properly, allowing it to be flushed out with the urine. Unfortunately, there is no cure once kidney disease has begun, although you can only slow the progress of the deterioration. Often diagnosed by the increased levels of protein in a urine test, other symptoms of diabetic nephropathy include obvious water retention, vomiting, fatigue, itching and dry skin and recurrent hiccups. As the kidneys continue to fail, the patient will need to use dialysis to cleanse the blood of impurities while they await a transplant. Clearly prevention is the best option.

Heart Disease and Stroke- Diabetics have an increased risk of developing heart disease and/or stroke at an earlier age than the rest of the population due to a diabetic's tendency towards high blood pressure. Heart attacks and strokes are both urgent and life threatening conditions that are treatable if caught in the early stages. However, they can each have lasting debilitating ramifications so prevention through healthy lifestyle choices is the best protocol.

Diabetic Neuropathy- This is a term for the nerve damage caused by diabetes. The blood vessels that connect to the nerves are impaired creating several different reactions by the body. The affected nerves can be found in the peripheral limbs such as hands and feet or internally, affecting the major organs. With the loss of sensation comes an inability to function properly which could be dangerous for a diabetic with nerve damage affecting their digestive tract. If the nerves are damaged in such a way that they continue to fire messages to the brain without stopping, the diabetic may find themselves in continuous pain. Many diabetics experience intense foot pain due to neuropathy and find some relief through the use of compression stockings and diabetic socks. Treatment of diabetic neuropathy involves a mixture of different pain alleviating medications as well as tighter control of blood glucose levels and some physiotherapeutic treatments of electrical nerve stimulation. There isn't a cure for this complication, so properly managing your blood glucose levels and maintaining a healthy circulatory system is the best prevention.

Diabetic Retinopathy- This complication can lead to complete blindness. The retina (part of the eye) is damaged through poorly controlled levels of sugar in the blood. There are generally little to no symptoms of the development of diabetic retinopathy and it is usually caught through a regular eye exam. If caught early and treated, vision can be mostly restored.

Devon Delaney is fastidious about his feet and wound care. He advocates for better education of the diabetic community to ensure a greater commitment to foot care as a prevention to more serious diabetic complications.

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