Diabetes has certain repercussions on the body that happen gradually, over time, and sometimes so slowly that the diabetes patient might not even realize it. Diabetes complications can affect the nerves, the kidneys, the eyes, the blood vessels and the heart. If diabetes is diagnosed and detected early on, and treatment begins at once, then diabetes complications can be controlled, thus it is important to diagnose diabetes in order to prevent further damage to the body in the form of diabetes complications.
The first steps in diabetes complications include changes in nerves and the smaller blood vessels. Later on, diabetes complications reach greater proportions. People who have been suffering from diabetes for several years are at greater risk of developing diabetes complications, although it cannot be predicted who will get them from among diabetes patients. Sometimes a patient may be diabetic without even being aware of it, in which case diabetes complications can alert the patient to the fact that diabetes is present in the body.
The most common and very dangerous of all the diabetes complications is heart disease. A diabetic person has twice the amount of risk of developing heart disease than other people do. The treatment of diabetes along with the elimination of other risk factors including hypertension, cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, a lot of cholesterol and fats in the blood and obesity can lead to the reduction of the risk of heart disease as one of several possible diabetes complications.
Another one of the several diabetes complications includes a higher incidence of kidney problems in diabetic people than others. However, most diabetic people will probably never have to face kidney disease as a result of diabetes complications, and properly treating diabetes will further reduce the chances. High blood pressure is a contributing risk factor, thus monitoring blood pressure and treating diabetes properly will prevent diabetes complications in the form of kidney disease.
Diabetes complications also include eye problems, although these effects are often temporary and go away with proper diabetes treatment. In spite of this, people who have had diabetes for many years can have diabetes complications relating to eye problems which can threaten their vision in several ways. To prevent diabetes complications in the form of eye problems, having regular eye examinations and a stable level of blood glucose helps the diabetic patient. Diabetes can often cause blurry vision in patients. Diabetic people are also at more risk of glaucoma and cataract. Diabetic retinopathy is also added to the list of eye problems caused as a result of diabetes complications.
Due to changes in nerves and blood vessels in the legs and feet because of diabetes, diabetes complications also include leg and feet problems. Diabetes can make the nerves less sensitive and also lead to peripheral vascular disease. Diabetic neuropathy is another one of the various diabetes complications. These problems can lead to amputation of legs if left untreated for very long, and sores or cuts which do not heal should be immediately checked out as this can be due to diabetes complications. Diabetic people are also prone to skin and oral infections.
