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Diabetes is the most common cause of blindness, kidney disease, and amputations. It’s a major risk factor for heart disease and can reduce lifespan by up to 10 years. The main driver for these complications is high blood sugar, known as hyperglycemia, over a long period of time.
It’s true that many diabetes complications cannot be reversed once they take place. However, most can be delayed or prevented when you actively participate in your health care.
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the most common cause of death in people with diabetes.
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is the narrowing of blood vessels farther away from the heart. PAD leads to foot ulcers, amputations, leg pain, and can slow wound healing.
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and End Stage Kidney/Renal Disease (ESRD or ESKD) happen when there is damage to the kidney. It can lead to total kidney failure and dialysis.
Diabetic Retinopathy occurs when vessels in the eye become leaky and blocked.
Diabetic nerve disease, or neuropathy, occurs when the nerves in the body become damaged.
Other complications of diabetes include:
Fortunately, controlling high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, and participating in an active lifestyle can reduce the chances of suffering from diabetes complications. Join Glucose Guards to learn more.
The complications of diabetes may sound scary but keeping your blood sugar controlled can improve the way you feel and reduce the chances of developing complications. For complications that already exist, good lifestyle and screening measures can stop those complications from getting worse.
A majority of diabetes complications stem from 2 causes- chronic high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, and high blood pressure, or hypertension.
Certain medications can also have a profound impact on the course of diabetes.
Because diabetes complications are often not felt until they are irreversible, it is incredibly important to take the appropriate screening tests to catch complications early. Most guidelines recommend the following tests regularly:
Join Glucose Guards to learn more about preventing the complications of diabetes and to get your Yearly Diabetes Care List.
Glucose Guards partners with Vytalize Health, a leading provider of value-based healthcare, to improve the quality of care for people with diabetes and drive down diabetes related complications while reducing healthcare costs.
The ADA “Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes” includes the current clinical practice recommendations and is intended to provide the components of diabetes care, general treatment goals and guidelines, and tools to evaluate quality of care. The Standards are updated at least once a year – sometimes more frequently.
I wish that everyone could have a team, like the one that I have… that is what Marisa and Faith are to me. I will take them in my heart, wherever I go. And remember everything that they have taught me, and that I can make it to 100 [years old]!
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and other authorities call for increased access to Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) through innovative and non-traditional methods, including web based programs.
“It’s cool to see my [average blood sugar] slope… because sometimes the whole forest through the trees thing feels like it’s just a drop in the bucket but then you look back and you just realize how far you’ve come.”