Over the years, diabetes has become more common. Despite this, there are still a lot of people who are not aware of the complications and issues that come with them. Diabetes is a serious illness and should be treated with care. This means eating healthy, exercising and visiting your doctor on a regular basis.<\/p>\n
When you follow your doctor\u2019s recommendations, you can have a normal, healthy life as you manage your diabetes. However, when you ignore these recommendations, you put your health in danger.<\/p>\n
If you or someone you know suffers from diabetes, there are some complications your body may develop if you do not manage your diabetes well. In this article we cover what these complications are and what you can do about them.<\/p>\n
People with diabetes have a greater risk of developing eye problems, including:<\/p>\n
Cataracts<\/strong> Retinopathy<\/strong> One reason why teens with diabetes need to have regular yearly eye exams is because people with retinopathy may not have any problems seeing at first. But if the condition gets worse, they can become blind. If a person develops retinal problems, he or she will need to visit the eye doctor more often. A person with diabetes may be able to slow or reverse the damage caused by retinopathy by improving blood sugar control. If retinopathy becomes more advanced, laser treatment may be needed to help prevent vision loss.<\/p>\n Glaucoma<\/strong> People with glaucoma take medications to lower the pressure inside the eye and sometimes need surgery. Your doctor will probably check your eyes for early signs of these problems during routine exams. He or she may also recommend that you see an ophthalmologist or optometrist. Keeping your blood sugar and blood pressure levels under control and avoiding tobacco may also help you avoid eye problems associated with diabetes.<\/p>\n When blood sugar is high, it can cause damage to the blood vessels in the kidneys, leading to kidney disease. This is sometimes called diabetic nephropathy.<\/p>\n Kidney disease is more likely to happen in people who haven’t controlled their blood sugar levels over a long period of time. If a person develops kidney disease, it can get worse if he or she has high blood pressure or uses tobacco. In its early stages, kidney disease doesn’t cause symptoms. Over time, though, kidney disease can cause kidney failure, which means the kidneys stop working. Kidney disease is a serious health problem.<\/p>\n If a person has gone through puberty and has had diabetes for several years, doctors will probably test for kidney disease about once a year. Doctors may do a urine test to measure the amount of protein called albumin (pronounced al-byoo-mun) in the urine. If the amount of protein in the urine increases beyond a certain point, or if there are other signs of kidney disease, doctors may look at a piece of the kidney under a microscope to make sure a person really has kidney disease.<\/p>\n If doctors detect kidney disease early enough the damage can sometimes be reversed with proper treatment. Doctors may tell a person with diabetic nephropathy to eat less protein. They may also prescribe medications. If the kidney disease gets worse, a person may develop kidney failure, which requires dialysis (regular use of a machine to clean the blood as the kidneys normally would) or a kidney transplant. The good news is that these days kidney disease is less likely to end up as kidney failure because of earlier detection and better treatment than in the past.<\/p>\n The best way to help prevent diabetic kidney disease is to keep your blood sugar levels under control by following your diabetes treatment plan. It’s also important to get regular blood pressure checks and urine albumin tests. Your diabetes healthcare team will tell you when you need these. In addition, steer clear of smoking which can increase the risk of kidney problems and other diabetes complications and health problems.<\/p>\n Another complication that people who have had diabetes for a long time may develop is a type of nerve damage called diabetic neuropathy.<\/p>\n Diabetic neuropathy can affect nerves in many different parts of the body. The most common early symptoms of the condition are numbness, tingling or sharp pains in the feet or lower legs. Doctors believe nerve damage is linked to high blood sugar levels over time. So controlling blood sugar levels by following a diabetes treatment plan can help reduce a person’s risk of developing this complication.<\/p>\n People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing certain problems with the heart and blood vessels (these are called cardiovascular diseases). Some of these problems are: heart attack (caused by a blockage of the blood vessels supplying blood to the heart), stroke (caused by a blockage of the blood vessels supplying the brain) and blockage of blood vessels in the legs and feet, which can lead to foot ulcers, infections and even loss of a toe, foot or lower leg.<\/p>\n How well a person controls his or her blood sugar probably plays a role in heart and blood vessel problems, too. And if a person smokes, is obese, has abnormal levels of blood lipids (triglycerides or cholesterol), high blood pressure or a family history of heart attack or stroke before age 50, he or she definitely has a higher risk of these problems.<\/p>\n One thing you can do to reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases is to be a healthy weight. If you’re overweight, your doctor can suggest ways to help you lose weight and stay there. The doctor may also check your blood lipid levels (cholesterol and triglycerides) and blood pressure regularly to be sure they’re in a healthy range. Following your diabetes meal plan, getting regular exercise and taking diabetes medications as prescribed may also help prevent or delay the development of heart and blood vessel problems. In addition, smoking increases the risk of heart and blood vessel problems, as well as other diabetes complications.<\/p>\n People with diabetes are more likely than others to develop gum disease (also called periodontal disease) because they may have:<\/p>\n All of these factors can contribute to gum disease. Signs and symptoms of gum disease include bleeding, sensitive and painful gums. A person’s gums may also recede (receding gums is a term that means the gum tissues no longer cover the root surfaces of teeth), or be discolored. Dentists can diagnose gum disease during regular checkups.<\/p>\n Fortunately, you can prevent gum disease by managing your blood sugar levels, taking After a person has had diabetes for many years, he or she can develop foot problems because of poor blood flow in the feet and nerve damage. Starting at puberty, your doctor will check your feet for any signs of problems. You should tell your doctor about any foot problems you’re having, such as ingrown toenails, calluses and dry skin. Even if your feet just feel irritated because you’ve been wearing certain shoes or because you’ve had a minor sports injury, you should tell your doctor.<\/p>\n To prevent foot problems, wear comfortable shoes that fit properly and keep your toenails trimmed to the shape of the toe. Exercise, which increases blood flow to the feet, can also help keep feet healthy.<\/p>\n If you are in the Chandler, Tempe, Mesa, Phoenix or Gilbert area of Arizona, we encourage you to schedule a visit with one of our providers. You can call 480.831.8457 to speak with our scheduling department.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Over the years, diabetes has become more common. Despite this, there are still a lot of people who are not aware of the complications and issues that come with them. Diabetes is a serious illness and should be treated with care. This means eating healthy, exercising and visiting your doctor on a regular basis. When […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,43,35],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nA cataract is a thickening and clouding of the lens of the eye. The lens is the part of the eye that helps you focus on what you see. Cataracts can make a person’s vision blurry or make it hard to see at night. Doctors think that people with diabetes are more likely to develop cataracts if they have high blood sugar levels over a long period of time. If cataracts get in the way of seeing properly, a person can have surgery to remove them.<\/p>\n
\nAnother eye problem called diabetic retinopathy, involves changes in the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. These changes happen because of damage or growth problems in the small blood vessels of the retina. Usually, changes in the retinal blood vessels don’t appear before a person has reached puberty and has had diabetes for several years. Retinopathy is more likely to become a problem in people with diabetes if they have high blood sugar levels over a long period of time, if they have high blood pressure or if they smoke or chew tobacco.<\/p>\n
\nPeople who have diabetes also have a greater chance of getting glaucoma. In this disease, pressure builds up inside the eye which can decrease blood flow to the retina and optic nerve and damage them. At first, a person may not have trouble seeing. But if it’s not treated, glaucoma can cause a person to lose vision. The risk increases as a person gets older and has had diabetes longer.<\/p>\nKidney Disease<\/h3>\n
Nerve Damage<\/h3>\n
\nIf it’s not treated, nerve damage can cause a number of problems. For example, because of the numbness, people with nerve damage might not realize that they have a cut and it could become seriously infected before they discover it. Because nerve damage can happen anywhere in the body, problems can occur in almost any organ system, including the digestive tract, urinary system, eyes and heart. Doctors usually diagnose nerve damage by giving a person a physical exam. A biopsy of nerve tissue or other special tests may also be necessary. The doctor might recommend that the patient see a nerve specialist (neurologist).<\/p>\nHeart and Blood Vessel Diseases<\/h3>\n
Gum Disease<\/h3>\n
\n
\ncare of your teeth by brushing and flossing daily and getting regular dental checkups.<\/p>\nFoot Problems<\/h3>\n