What Are the Possible Complications of Diabetes?

Insidious for many years for type 2, diabetes can have very significant consequences on the life and health of patients. Complications related to the disease can affect several organs indiscriminately (nerves, heart, arteries, eyes, feet, kidneys or even teeth). Thus, in Western countries, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness. Fortunately, treatments exist and allow patients to live normally.

Whether you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, your disease puts you at high risk for complications . Blood sugar imbalances harm your body and can create  serious damage to cells , with repercussions on different organs . 

There are two types of consequences: 

  • Microvascular complications

The chronic hyperglycemia of diabetics gradually damages the  small blood vessels of the kidneys and eyes as well as the nerves , thereby causing eye, nerve and kidney problems. The vessels become clogged and, if certain parts of our body are no longer sufficiently irrigated, they can die. The permanent excess of sugar in the blood therefore generates complications such as blindness ,  renal insufficiency , neuropathy (damage to the nerves) of the legs which can cause " plantain perforating ailments " or even damage to the nerves controlling sex .

  • Macrovascular complications

Other parameters, such as blood sugar can impact the  arteries and thus affect the carotid, coronary or leg arteries. Consequences: the patient risks stroke, heart attack or arteritis . 

Kidney complications

Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure . The disease can alter the lining of the kidneys, causing  renal permeability which can lead to the presence of albumins in the urine. It's nephropathy . If left untreated, it will get worse, even leaking protein into the urine, which can eventually lead to kidney failure . 

Arterial and cardiac complications

As we explained above, diabetes damages the arteries with particular great risks for cardiovascular health . Especially since this disease is often associated with an  excess of blood triglycerides , obesity, arterial hypertension or even a sedentary lifestyle with the consequent  risk of atherosclerosis . Also, when all the "great vessels" are affected, it is  macroangiopathy . Understand that the arteries supplying the heart, but also the legs or the brain of the patient are affected. 

When the "large arteries" are affected (coronary arteries ), the person is at risk of myocardial infarction. In case of vascular involvement, macroangiopathy can lead to arteritis of the lower limbs - an even greater risk if they smoke heavily. And, if it reaches the brain, it's stroke. 

Nerve Complications 

Among the chronic complications of diabetes are nerve problems . Indeed, the excess of sugar in the blood disrupts the nerves both in their function and in their structure. Results: 

  • The person may develop insensitivity to heat, as well as to pain . This is called  distal and symmetrical neuropathy .
  • There is a risk of mononeuritis which can lead to facial paralysis or double vision.
  • Finally, if the autonomic nervous system is affected, the person may experience  digestive or bladder and  heart problems .

Nerve damage is also the cause of complications in the feet and eyes. 

Ophthalmological complications

Among the complications due to diabetes,  eye damage  is one of the best known. And for good reason,  diabetic retinopathy  affects nearly half of diabetics. 

If the small blood vessels carrying blood to the retina are damaged, this can create  micro-aneurysms which, if they burst, will swell the retina and create deposits of material, inducing visual disturbances . And, in the most severe cases, if scar tissue forms, the retina can detach and this is  blindness .

Other major ophthalmological complications include  cataracts  and macular edema .  




Foot injuries

The feet of diabetics are fragile , especially when they suffer from neuropathy. Poorly treated wounds or perforating plantar disease (chronic foot ulcer) can lead to abscesses or even  gangrene  and require  amputation .

Infections 

Bacteria "love" sugar. Therefore,  diabetes promotes infections and people with it are more susceptible than average to  skin, gynecological and oral infections - especially since the saliva is sweet.

dental problems

In addition to oral infections, diabetics can suffer from dry mouth , a side effect of many antidiabetic drugs, which can lead to the appearance of  lesions in the gums ,  fungus or even an ulcer in the mouth . .

If these lesions do not heal well, in particular because of the lack of oxygen arriving in the blood capillaries of the gums,  periodontitis is guaranteed. Teeth move, loosen and risk falling.

sexual disorders

In addition to gynecological infections, which are more numerous in people with diabetes, women are more prone to  urinary tract infections , vaginal yeast infections and vaginal dryness; while men suffer much more frequently from erectile dysfunction . In causes: a possible lack of muscle tone, the side effects of certain drugs, but especially diabetic neuropathy which reduces sensitivity and therefore excitement during a report , and therefore erection and desire. 

sleep disorders

Diabetes can be a cause of impaired sleep via:

  • Nocturnal hypoglycaemia that can cause nocturnal awakenings,
  • Disease -induced polyuria (frequent urge to urinate),
  • musculoskeletal pain ,
  • Restless legs syndrome which can result from neuropathy,
  • Diabetic  retinopathy which can lead to a disruption of circadian rhythms or
  • Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome which particularly affects people with diabetes. 

Psychological difficulties

Diabetes is a heavy and restrictive pathology on a daily basis. Especially since, if the disease can be treated, it cannot be cured . People with diabetes are therefore more affected than average by psychological disorders such as depression , anxiety or even  nervous fatigue . 

Joint complications

Less known than the others, joint complications are common in people with diabetes. In question: chronic hyperglycemia alters collagen , a protein molecule contributing to joint well-being. Among the most common disorders are  diabetic cheiroarthropathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, dupuytren's disease, "trigger" finger and tendonitis. Other complications are also possible such as shoulder-hand syndrome and gout attack. 

Diabetes linked to mental decline

Another good reason to keep your body healthy! Diabetes and high blood pressure often associated with problems with physical inactivity are now linked to a rapid decline in cognitive abilities .

This finding, published in the journal Neurology, is based on estimating the mental abilities of 10,963 people between the ages of 47 and 70 six years apart. The results show a mental decline in all participants but in patients with high blood pressure and diabetes the decline is much greater.

Diabetes would have a harmful influence whatever the age, whereas arterial hypertension seems to initiate its harmful action only from the age of 58 .

Smoking and high cholesterol levels, however, do not seem to influence the future of our mental abilities.

Researchers believe that diabetes and high blood pressure may, but aren't the cause, make people more susceptible to developing Alzheimer's disease .

David Beme

Acute complications

The acute complications of type 1 diabetes are sometimes faintness or comas due to hyperglycemia and more rarely due to ketoacidosis , due respectively to insulin not injected or incorrectly dosed.

  • Ketoacidosis occurs when the body can no longer use glucose as fuel at all (sugar no longer enters the cells due to the absence of insulin). The cells then attack the fats, causing their abnormally massive degradation into ketone bodies, toxic waste for the body. Untreated, ketoacidosis progresses to  coma and death .
  • Hypoglycaemia , by far the most common accident, can cause only slight discomfort, but if left untreated, it can also lead to coma with irreversible neurological sequelae .
  • Hyper- osmolar coma , a rare accident, occurs especially in subjects over 60 years of age following  severe dehydration during infections, diarrhea or taking diuretics . Blood sugar is then very high and immediate hospitalization. Mortality is heavy (50% of cases) and occurs due to a sudden drop in blood pressure despite emergency insulin treatment.
Location: India

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