In my previous blog, I shared about Diabetes and Exercise. Let's take a step back and check some of the complications associated with Diabetes.
In any other illness, the first thing people need is to be informed and educated about the disease they may be prone to. In the case of diabetes, extensive knowledge about this can help people who are already suffering from it to cope and manage it and can also help those who don’t have it yet to be more careful and avoid the illness. But, aside from having extensive knowledge of the disease, such as its causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, it also pays to know if there would be related complications. This is to prepare oneself emotionally, physically and mentally about the possibilities of coping not just with diabetes but also the other complications related to it.
Certain factors affect people prone to diabetes, such as age, heredity and ethnicity. But regardless of the risk factors, the related complications would just be the same. The following are just some of the complications of diabetes that people who are prone to it must pay attention to: 1. Heart Disease and Stroke:
People with diabetes have greater risks of having coronary heart disease and stroke than those who don’t have them. In fact, these complications are the leading causes of death among people with diabetes worldwide. People who have diabetes are prone to heart diseases and stroke because the fatty deposits brought by drastic changes in the body can block the arteries and lead to a heart attack. Because of the lesser amount of insulin in the body than regular people, people with diabetes have a higher incidence of blood clotting, leading to high blood pressure or hypertension.
2. Diabetic Kidney Disease:
Among people with diabetes, kidney failure is the most common complication because the blood-filtering units of the kidneys are being damaged. Once the kidney has been damaged, essential proteins are being along with urine, and eventually, the kidneys won't be able to remove the waste products present in the blood anymore. The good thing is, not all diabetics experience End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESRD), which can be life-threatening. To avoid this complication, you must stop smoking cigarettes and always keep your blood pressure under control at all times.
3. Diabetic Eye Disease:
This refers to the group of eye problems that diabetics may have due to the chronic disease. In worst cases, this set of eye-related issues such as diabetic retinopathy, damaged vessels of the eye's retina, cataracts, cloudiness in the lens of the eyes, glaucoma, and increased fluid pressure inside the eye optic nerve. When not treated immediately and not appropriately monitored, all of these can lead to total loss of vision or blindness.
4. Diabetic Neuropathy: Those who smoke, consume alcohol regularly, and have poor glucose control are more prone to developing neuropathy than those with diabetes who are not into these vices and bad habits. Hence, smoking and drinking should be restricted as it also has other health-related effects on the body.
5. Gastroparesis:
This disorder involves the stomach as a result of prolonged emptying. Studies show that around 20 to 30% of people with diabetes suffering from type 1 diabetes are more prone to this diabetes complication because it severely damages the vagus nerve, which keeps the food moving through a person's digestive tract. Although it is also diagnosed among type 2 diabetes, the cases are comparatively lower.
Thus, it is always advisable to adopt a healthy lifestyle at an early age to avoid such complications, caused by chronic diseases like diabetes.
Comments