Diabetes Complications
Diabetes complications are both long-term and short-term.
Short-term complications may include frequent infections. A person
with diabetes has a weakened ability to use white blood cells to
fight infection. To make the problem worse, when a patient with
diabetes has an infection, it makes blood sugar levels even harder
to control.
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Diabetic patients will have hypoglycemia, or
low blood sugar several times during the disease. This
usually results after taking too much insulin, exercising
more than usual, missing a meal, or drinking too much
alcohol. Hypoglycemia must be understood and recognized.
Be prepared to treat it always. Headaches, dizziness, lack
of concentration, trembling hands, and excessive sweating
are common signs of hypoglycemia. If blood sugar gets too
low, you could pass out, or have a seizure. This is a
serious complication and you should know how to help the
person having an insulin reaction.
A serious complication of Type 2 diabetes is
hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome. This
complication happens when the blood sugar levels are
dangerously high. The body tries to get rid of the blood
sugar by removing it through increased urination. This
leads to severe dehydration that can cause seizures, coma,
and death. |
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This complication can be brought on by
stress, injury to the body, stroke, and the use of steroids.
Long-term complications include blindness.
Damage is done to the retina by diabetes and is the leading
cause of blindness. Kidney damage from diabetes is the leading
cause of kidney failure in the United States.
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People with diabetes already are at higher
risk of cardiovascular problems, kidney disease, high blood
pressure, and high cholesterol levels. Arteries building up
with fatty plaques can cause peripheral vascular disease or
decreased circulation in the arms and legs. Damage can be
caused to the nerves in the nervous system. This can lead
to chronic diarrhea, uncontrollable heart rate, high blood
pressure, and paralysis of the stomach.
One of the scariest complications is one I
watched happen to my father. Because of nerve damage, the
feet are sensitive and easily damaged by even a minor wound
to the feet. Even a small cut from cutting the toenails can
lead to huge problems. Because the feet are no longer
sensitive because of nerve damage, a diabetic patient may
not know they have a problem until it has created an ulcer
where the wound is. This complication often leads to
amputation. |
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It might start with a toe that was injured and
may lead to amputation of first the toe, because it is hard for
any wound to heal, it may lead to further amputations. It could
start with a toe, but may need more surgeries to remove more
toes, the foot, and sometimes lead to removing the leg. A
person with diabetes, should always walk with their feet
covered, and be careful when they are grooming their toenails.
A possible solution would be to have the toenails cut by a
trained professional, either a visiting nurse or a licensed foot
doctor.
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