Insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, metabolizes most of the food you eat into glucose. However, this process is disturbed when someone is suffering from diabetes. Diabetes happens mainly because of two reasons, either insulin is not being produced in your body or your body is unable to utilize the produced insulin properly. In diabetics, most of the sugar remains in the blood un-utilized and this can lead to several health problems like heart and kidney diseases. Several complications arise if you are unable to control the blood sugar. Both men and women are equally vulnerable to such complications. Early knowledge of these complications can help you in tackling them effectively. This article is an attempt to make you aware of some common complications that arise due to diabetes.
1. Kidney diseases
High level of sugar in your blood puts too much stress on your kidneys, thus leading to some serious damages to your blood vessels, which eventually culminates into kidney diseases. Although it is very rare, yet it can lead to kidney failure, which requires kidney transplant. However, there are minimal chances of diabetic kidney disease to occur in the first 10 years of diabetes as it takes several years to develop. You must keep your blood sugar in check in order to reduce the risk.
2. Infections
Diabetic patients are prone to several types of infections because the immune system becomes weak due to high blood sugar. Several types of infections like yeast infections, surgical site infections, foot infections and urinary tract infections are very common in diabetic patients. The body becomes more vulnerable to infections because of the reduced blood flow to extremities and nerve damages.
3. Dental problems
Periodontal disease is very common in diabetic patients. This is a medical condition which involves the inflammation of the tissues that surround and support your teeth. This normally happens because the blood supply to the gums is reduced. Less saliva and more plague in the mouth makes the situation much more severe.
4. Foot diseases
Studies have shown that around 10 percent of the diabetic patients are sure to develop foot ulcers at some point of the time. Both large and small blood vessels get damaged because of the high level of sugar in blood. This reduces blood supply to your leg which ultimately results in leg and foot problems.
5. Cardiovascular diseases
The risk of heart attack and strokes increases significantly in people suffering from diabetes. The blood vessels get narrowed because of the high blood sugar. These narrow blood vessels are responsible for poor blood supply to the heart, thus causing angina. Heart attack or stroke occurs when a blood vessel in your brain or heart gets blocked, completely.
6. Eye diseases
Various retinal diseases like retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts can arise in people suffering from diabetes. This happens because diabetes affects the veins in retina, making them narrow, bulging or hardened. Partial blindness, double vision and increase in power are among some other retinal defects which are observed in diabetic patients. You need to keep your blood pressure and blood sugar levels under control in order to avoid retinal diseases. It is also recommended to distance yourself from tobacco.
7. Neuropathy
Diabetic neuropathy is yet another common diabetes related health issue which happens when the body nerves get damaged because of the high level of blood glucose. It becomes harder for your veins to convey messages to your brain and other parts. You tend to experience a stabbing or burning pain in your hands and feet during night if your nerves are damaged. Diabetic neuropathy makes it very difficult for you to feel small injuries on your foot. this injury needs to be treated immediately otherwise the infection may increase.
8. Skin diseases
Skin diseases are one of the first health problems which become visible among diabetics and they often act as an indicator of diabetes. People suffering from diabetes are more prone to develop infections like ulcers and boils. Some other skin related problems like fungal and bacterial infections, brown patches on legs and itching are also observed very frequently in diabetes patients. All these problems arise because of poor circulation of blood.
