Diabetes Complications: What’s Your Risk?
Why are people with diabetes at high risk of nerve pain, heart disease, and blindness?
Over time, high blood sugar slowly injures the blood vessels, nerves, and organs in your body. The higher your blood sugar is — and the longer it stays high — the worse the damage is. Smoking and alcohol ratchet up the damage several more notches.
“Damage is slow and occurs over a period of years — but it probably begins when blood sugar is at mildly elevated levels,” says Ronald Goldberg, MD, associate director of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical Center. “You may not be diagnosed with diabetes, but the damage has already begun.”
The damage from diabetes shows up a bit differently in everyone — whether it attacks the nerves, eyes, or kidneys, Goldberg tells WebMD. “Genetics probably influence which complications you are more susceptible to.”
The problem is, “many people have diabetes a lot longer than they realize,” says Ziemer. “Most have diabetes an average of five to seven years before they’re diagnosed.”
Diabetes Complications: The Risks You Face
As blood vessels, nerves, and organs become damaged, your risk of diabetes complications increases. These are the most serious:
Heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, and stroke risks are doubled. Heart disease and stroke cause at least 65% of deaths from diabetes.
Major eye complications (diabetic retinopathy) are linked to blood vessel problems in the eyes. Diabetes is a leading cause of preventable blindness; cataracts and glaucoma are also common.
Reduced blood flow to nerves and high blood sugar results in nerve pain, burning, numbness (peripheral neuropathy).
Serious leg and foot infections, even gangrene and amputation, are due to poor blood circulation, lack of oxygen and nutrients to tissue, and nerve damage.
Kidney damage (diabetic nephropathy) is a common risk for people with diabetes.
November 28th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
[...] Smoking and alcohol ratchet up the damage several more notches. “Damage is slow and occurs over a period of years — but it probably begins when blood sugar is at mildly elevated levels,” says Ronald Goldberg, MD, associate director of … More [...]
November 29th, 2008 at 8:41 am
[...] Diabetes Complications: What’s Your Risk? “Damage is slow and occurs over a period of years — but it probably begins when blood sugar is at mildly elevated levels,” says Ronald Goldberg, MD, associate director of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami … [...]
November 29th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
[...] View post [...]
November 29th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
[...] Diabetes Complications: What’s Your Risk? Smoking and alcohol ratchet up the damage several more notches. “Damage is slow and occurs over a period of years — but it probably begins when blood sugar is at mildly elevated levels,” says Ronald Goldberg, MD, associate director of … [...]