Diabetes is a type of disease that affects your body’s ability to produce or use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that allows your body to turn glucose into energy. There are various health complications of diabetes. For serious cases of diabetes, there are different hospitals where you can go to for the best diabetes care in Hyderabad.
There are two kinds of diabetes such as Type 1 and Type 2. People suffering with type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin at all. This is because their immune system has attacked and destroyed the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. And, those with type 2 and gestational diabetes also do not make enough insulin, or their body cannot use it effectively.
Type 1 diabetes symptoms often appear rapidly. It usually starts in childhood or adolescence, but it can occur at any age. Type 2 usually develops over a number of years. It usually starts after the age of 45 years although it can appear earlier.
What are the Most Common Health Complications of Diabetes?
- Excessive amounts of blood sugar levels can seriously damage parts of your body. You might have heard your healthcare expert mention about two types of diabetes complications. These are serious ones that build up over time called chronic complications and ones that can happen at any time called acute complications.
- Chronic complications are long-term complications of diabetes that can develop gradually as mentioned above and can lead to serious damage if they go unchecked and untreated.
- Eye Problems
It is quite likely that people suffering from diabetes develop an eye disease called diabetic retinopathy which can affect their eyesight. If retinopathy is diagnosed, it can be treated and sight loss can be prevented. - Foot Problems
Diabetes can lead to amputation if untreated. A raised blood sugar can damage the circulation, making it slower for sores and cuts to heal. There are different yoga asanas for diabetes that can be performed in case of foot problems. - Heart Attack and Stroke
If you are suffering from high blood sugar for a period of time, it can damage your blood vessels. This can even lead to heart attacks and strokes which may be fatal. - Kidney problems
Diabetes can also damage your kidneys. Thus, making it harder to clear extra fluid and waste from your body. This is generally caused by high blood sugar levels and blood pressure. - Nerve damage
People suffering from diabetes may also develop nerve damage. This can possibly make it harder for the nerves to carry messages between the brain and every part of our body. Thus, it can affect how we see, hear, feel and move. - Gum disease and other mouth problems
Presence of too much sugar in your blood can lead to more sugar in your saliva. This carries bacteria which produces acid. And, attack your tooth enamel, thus, damages your gums. The blood vessels in your gums can also become damaged, thereby, making gums more likely to get infected. - Sexual problems
The damaged blood vessels and nerves as a result of diabetes can restrict the amount of blood flowing to your sexual organs so you can lose some sensation. You are also more likely to get urinary tract infection if you have high blood sugar. It may lead to a sexual problem known as erectile dysfunction.
If you have diabetes, you also carry a higher risk of developing certain cancers. Cancer treatments can affect your diabetes much more and make it harder to control your blood sugar.
There are Certain Acute Complications Also Related to Diabetes such as:-
Hyperosmolar Hyperglycaemic State(HHS) – This is a life-threatening emergency that only occurs in people with type 2 diabetes. It’s brought on by excessive dehydration and very high blood sugars.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis(DKA) – This is a type of life-threatening emergency in which the lack of insulin and high blood sugars leads to a build-up of ketones.
How Can You Prevent Diabetes Complications?
- Make a commitment to manage your diabetes: Try to go for healthy eating and make physical activity a part of your daily routine. Maintaining a healthy weight will help to monitor your blood sugar. Also, follow your doctor’s instructions for managing your blood sugar level.
- Quit smoking to avoid diabetes: Smoking enhances your risk of type 2 diabetes along with the risk of various diabetes complications, such as reduced blood flow in the legs and feet. This can lead to infections, ulcers and even removal of a body part by surgery.
- Other than managing your diet and quitting smoking, you must schedule frequent diabetes checkups in addition to your yearly physical and routine eye exams. This will enable your eye care specialist to check for signs of retinal damage, cataracts and glaucoma
Summing up:-
In the article above, there is an emphasis on diabetes, difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes and a thorough discussion on the health complications due to diabetes and the ways to prevent them. Hopefully, this article helped you have an idea about the different health issues related with diabetes. However, to know more, you must get in touch with an experienced medical professional.
