Diabetes is a serious condition that often leads to different ailments that develop gradually. The longer people have it and the less controlled their blood sugar, the higher this risk. Some accompanying diseases can even be disabling and dangerous.
Cardiovascular Diseases
Diabetes increases the risk of different heart problems, such as heart attacks, coronary artery disease with angina, atherosclerosis, and stroke.
Neuropathy or Nerve Damage
Excess sugar injures the walls of capillaries that nourish nerves, thus, causing burning, tingling, pain, and numbness that can spread gradually, especially in legs. If this condition is left untreated, patients may lose any sense in affected limbs. The nerve damage related to digestion leads to such complications as vomiting, constipation, nausea, and diarrhea.
Male Impotence
For men, diabetes may lead to erectile dysfunction. The mechanism that causes it is complex and involves impairments in blood vessels, nerves, and muscle functioning. Diabetes can damage the nerves and blood vessels that control erections.
Nephropathy or Kidney Damage
Kidneys contain a number of small blood vessels that filter the waste from the blood, and diabetes can damage this important filtering system. In severe cases, it leads to kidney failure.
Retinopathy or Eye Damage
Diabetes also damages blood vessels in the retina, and this condition may potentially lead to blindness. It can increase the risk of having other severe vision conditions, including glaucoma and cataracts.
Foot Damage
Nerve damage and poor blood flow in feet lead to different health complications. That’s why untreated blisters and cuts can turn into serious infections, and they heal poorly.
