key goal of diabetes treatment is to prevent complications because, over time, diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves, although the person may not know damage is taking place. It's important to diagnose and treat diabetes early, because it can cause damage even before it makes someone feel ill.
How diabetes causes long-term problems is unclear. However, changes in the small blood vessels and nerves are common. These changes may be the first step toward many problems that diabetes causes. Scientists can't predict who among people with diabetes will develop complications, but complications are most likely to occur in someone who has had diabetes for many years. However, because a person can have diabetes without knowing it, a complication may be the first sign.
Once we have crossed the reversible stage of prediabetes and enter diabetes stage certain changes start developing in our body. These changes occur due to high blood sugar with instability in the hormones as well as blood vessels and nerves. When these changes become permanent in the body it develops into serious Diabetes Complications and body indicates these changes by steady symptoms. When alarming symptoms given by the body are ignored and the same status is maintained, it starts damaging body organs, such as heart, kidney, eye, feet, and skin. The physiology for each and every affected organ is explained one by one. DIABETES COMPLICATIONS
If the cells in your body do not properly metabolize and use sugar, you are putting yourself at risk of developing a diabetes-related illness. Uncontrolled diabetes can have severe complications- heart disease, blindness, lower limb amputation, etc. Most complications are vascular complications stemming from the damage diabetes inflicts on the lining of your blood vessels.
DIABETES AND HEART DISEASE
Heart disease and stroke account for 2 out of 3 deaths in people with diabetes. Adults with diabetes have heart disease and stroke risks about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.
These startling figures have prompted the American Diabetes Association and the American College of Cardiology to launch a new program named “Make the Link” which draws attention to the serious health related issues linking diabetes and heart disease.
Diabetes adversely affects your blood cholesterol levels, but you can reduce your risk of heart and blood vessel disease by lowering your cholesterol levels through a healthy diet and consistent exercise.
The good news is that keeping your weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol in normal ranges can help prevent or delay these diabetes related health problems.
• American Diabetes Association
• National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases
• US Center for Disease Control
• Wikipedia Encyclopedia Article
• Transcript of the Larry King Show on CNN
• Joslin Diabetes Clinic has free online educational videos for people with diabetes |
