Information regarding diabetes and day-to-day living with the disease.
, the likelihood of
of complications hanging over your head becomes very real.
What are the complications? What should you look for? Which
part of your body will be most affected? We will try to clarify what the most
severe complications are, and what you need to watch out for.
Complications usually are blood vessel diseases. These complications could
involve either the small blood vessels or the larger ones. The small ones involve
the eyes, nerves, and kidneys. The larger vessels would involve coronary heart
disease, stroke, and severe pain in the lower legs.
Kidney damage is a common complication from diabetes. The severity of the disease will
vary with each individual, as well as how fast it progresses. Diabetic nephropathy
is damage to the small blood vessels in the kidneys causeing protein to
leak into the urine. Eventually the kidneys lose their ability to clean and
filter the blood. Dialysis may be needed to filter the toxins from the blood.
Dialysis serves the same role as the kidney and once you start you will
need to remain on it. The alternative would be to have a kidney transplant.
In men, nerve damage may also result in impotence. Diabetic neuropathy can
affect the nerves that lead to the penis that allow for penile erection. If
the penis is not receiving the blood flow it needs because of nerve damage,
it can cause erectile dysfunction or impotence.
Another common severe complication of diabetes is called diabetic retinopathy,
which normally occurs in patients who have had diabetes
for more than five years. Blood vessel damage in the back of the eye can cause
a leakage of protein and blood in the retina. It can also cause small aneurysms,
and new blood vessels may develop but will often be brittle. Bleeding from the new
blood vessels can lead to scarring and a detachment of the retina causing damaged
eyesight.
Describing these complications should be enough to compel you to avoid complications
if possible. Take care of your body, eat healthy, exercise, and get the rest
you need.
