How Type 1 Diabetes Affects The Brain
The brain is an expensive organ to run: Most studies suggest that it requires up to 20 percent of the body’s total energy resources despite only taking up approximately 2 percent of its overall weight. Maintaining appropriate glucose levels—the proper amounts of the simple sugar that acts as the body’s main energy source—is key to keeping the brain running at its best. This can be difficult for people—especially children—who have type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), an auto-immune disorder that stops the body from producing insulin, the hormone that helps to break down what we eat into that vital glucose fuel. New research reported through a national consortium called the Diabetes Research in Children Network suggest that this can affect brain development in myriad ways, some of which could offer new insights into our understanding of how the brain compensates, over time, for chronic or degenerative disease. The effects of hyper- and hypoglycemia Last year, my daughter, Ella, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 10. As we learned more about the disease, we were cautioned to look out for both hyperglycemia, or high blood glucose levels, as well as hypoglycemia, low blood glucose levels. High blood sugars result in symptoms like increased thirst, frequent urination, headache, and fatigue. If high glucose levels continue for a long time, there could be long-term damage to the kidneys, eyes, and nerves. Low blood sugars, on the other hand, can lead to shakiness, anxiety, confusion, dizziness, and muscle weakness—and if not treated immediately, seizures or unconsciousness. While there’s no “perfect” number for glucose levels, it is recommended that most children stay between 70 and 180 mg/dL, checking their blood sugar 4-6 times per day with a glucometer, Continue reading >>
Nerve Complications
Elevated blood sugars can damage the peripheral nerves. muscle weakness such as trouble climbing stairs nausea and vomiting Elevated levels of blood sugar can injure the blood vessels supplying the peripheral nerves, irritating and damaging them in the process. Such accumulated nerve damage is called diabetic neuropathy. Better blood glucose control can help restore healthy nerve function. Nerve Disease The nervous system includes our brain (central nervous system) and all of the nerves going from the brain to the rest of the body (peripheral nervous system). The nervous system is always at work. Sometimes – when we move or feel something – we are aware of it. But much happens automatically, including the control of our heart rate, the movement of food through the stomach and intestines and regulation of our blood pressure. Your health care provider can determine that your symptoms are related to diabetes and not to some other condition. The best way to improve all forms of diabetic neuropathy is to control your blood sugar levels. There are two categories of diabetic neuropathy: Sensory and motor neuropathy Autonomic neuropathy Symptoms of neuropathy include: Muscle weakness such as foot drop, double vision, trouble climbing stairs and getting out of a chair Stomach symptoms including bloating, nausea, vomiting of undigested food many hours after a meal, feeling full without eating much food. This is also referred to as gastroparesis. Bowel trouble such as episodes of diarrhea especially at night Difficulty with bladder emptying Sexual dysfunction Dizziness and lightheadedness from a very fast heart rate and trouble keeping the blood pressure high enough when sitting or standing up. What is the treatment? Before any treatment can be decided upon, you need to report Continue reading >>
How Diabetes Affects Your Brain
Diabetes can have an impact on your whole body. Your brain is no exception. Recent studies have linked type 2 diabetes to a slowdown in mental functioning and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The chance of brain complications is just one more reason to keep your diabetes under control. Diabetes on the Brain Scientists are still unsure exactly how type 2 diabetes might affect the brain. However, multiple factors are probably involved. On top of tracking your diet and blood sugar, regular exercise is a key part of managing your diabetes. And while any exercise is better than none, certain activities have specific benefits for people with diabetes. 2017 Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or reprinted without permission from Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc. Use of this information is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement. “High blood sugar may directly affect either nerve cells or support cells in the nervous system,” says Alan Jacobson, M.D., emeritus professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. “It can also lead to damage in both large and small blood vessels.” This, in turn, reduces the amount of oxygen reaching the brain. Plus, it increases the risk of having a stroke, which can kill brain cells. In addition, type 2 diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance, in which fat, muscle, and liver cells aren’t able to use insulin effectively. At first, the pancreas responds by pumping out more insulin. The same enzyme that breaks down insulin also breaks down a protein called beta-amyloid, which builds up abnormally in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. With so much of the enzyme at work breaking down insulin, beta-amyloid might have more chance to accumulate. Effect on Mental Continue reading >>
Review Article Neuroactive Steroids And Diabetic Complications In The Nervous System
Highlights • Diabetes mellitus affects the reproductive axis and levels of sex steroid hormones. • • Neuroactive steroids exert protective effects in diabetic encephalopathy. • Neuroactive steroids exert protective effects in diabetic peripheral neuropathy. • The effects of diabetes mellitus in nervous system show sex dimorphic features. Abstract Important complications of diabetes mellitus in the nervous system are represented by diabetic peripheral neuropathy and diabetic encephalopathy. In this context, an important link is represented by neuroactive steroids (i.e., steroids coming from peripheral glands and affecting nervous functionality as well as directly synthesized in the nervous system). Indeed, diabetes does not only affect the reproductive axis and consequently the levels of sex steroid hormones, but also those of neuroactive steroids. Indeed, as will be here summarized, the levels of these neuromodulators present in the central and peripheral nervous system are affected by the pathology in a sex-dimorphic way. In addition, some of these neuroactive steroids, such as the metabolites of progesterone or testosterone, as well as pharmacological tools able to increase their levels have been demonstrated, in experimental models, to be promising protective agents against diabetic peripheral neuropathy and diabetic encephalopathy. Continue reading >>
Effects Of Diabetes
In some cases the effects may be short term and can be eliminated through appropriate treatment. In the case of long term complications, any damage sustained tends to be permanent. Whilst there are a lot of ways in which diabetes can affect the body, it’s important to note that the risks of developing health problems can be significantly reduced through good management of diabetes and living a healthy life. Heart Higher than normal blood sugar levels over a period of time can lead to an increase in risk of damage occurring to larger blood vessels in the body. This raises the risk of blood clots forming in blood vessels which can lead to heart attacks – a form of coronary heart disease. Approximately, 600,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths. Learn more about Heart disease. Brain The brain is another major organ that can pose a threat to life if it is affected by damage or blockages in its blood supply. Elevated blood sugar levels over a long period of time can cause blockages in the blood vessels supplying the brain, resulting in stroke, and can also damage the very small blood vessels in the outer part of the brain, increasing the risk of brain damage and conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. In the short term, too low blood glucose levels can lead to a reduced ability to make decisions and cause confusion and disorientation. Nerves The nerves play a very important part throughout the body. Not only do they allow us to sense touch, nerves also allow our organs to function properly. For instance, nerves are crucial in helping the digestive system to sense how it should respond. If the nerves become damaged we can lose our ability to sense pain in parts of the body that are affected and if nerve damage (ne Continue reading >>
How Diabetes Causes Nerve Disease
Topic Overview The high blood sugar from diabetes affects the nerves and over time increases a person's risk for nerve damage. Keeping blood sugar levels tightly within a target range helps prevent diabetic neuropathy. The most common type of nerve disease (neuropathy) affects both sensory nerves, which send information to the spinal cord and brain, and motor nerves, which relay impulses from the brain and spinal cord to move muscles. This is called diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Diabetes also affects the nerves that control involuntary body functions, such as digestion. This is called diabetic autonomic neuropathy. Diabetes can affect single nerves. This is called diabetic focal neuropathy. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy With peripheral neuropathy, people experience a decrease in sensation or even numbness as well as difficulty moving the feet and, later on, the fingers and hands. As a result of this neuropathy, many people with diabetes cannot feel when they have injured their feet, and they may not know if calluses or ulcers form. Because of the risk of serious foot injury and infection, it is very important that people with diabetes learn how to examine their feet daily, wear shoes that fit well, and protect their feet from injury. Sometimes, single nerves can be affected by diabetes (focal neuropathy). These nerves may be peripheral, such as the nerves in the legs and arms, or cranial, such as the nerves that control eye movements. When single nerves become affected, the result is weakness or paralysis of the muscles controlled by the nerves. Usually these motor nerve neuropathies resolve by themselves over a period of several months. Diabetic autonomic neuropathy Diabetes can affect the autonomic nervous system, which are nerves that we can't consciously control. Continue reading >>
Effects Of Diabetes On The Body And Organs
Over time, the raised blood sugar levels that result from diabetes can cause a wide range of serious health issues. But what do these health issues involve, and how are the organs of the body affected? Can these effects be minimized? When people have diabetes, the body either does not make enough insulin or cannot use what it has effectively. As a result, the amount of sugar in the blood becomes higher than it should be. Glucose, or blood sugar, is the main power source for the human body. It comes from the food people eat. The hormone insulin helps the cells of the body convert glucose into fuel. Fortunately, taking a proactive approach to this chronic disease through medical care, lifestyle changes, and medication can help limit its effects. Effect on systems and organs The effects of diabetes can be seen on systems throughout the body, including: The circulatory system Diabetes can damage large blood vessels, causing macrovascular disease. It can also damage small blood vessels, causing what is called microvascular disease. Complications from macrovascular disease include heart attack and stroke. However, macrovascular disease can be prevented by: Microvascular disease can cause eye, kidney, and nerve problems, but good control of diabetes can help prevent these complications. The cardiovascular system Excess blood sugar decreases the elasticity of blood vessels and causes them to narrow, impeding blood flow. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute say diabetes is as big a risk factor for heart disease as smoking or high cholesterol. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk of stroke or dying of heart disease increases by 200-400 percent for adults with diabetes. The nervous system When people have diabetes, they can develop n Continue reading >>
How Does Diabetes Affect The Human Body?
I am not an expert, Just a Learner. Knowing how diabetes affects your body can help you look after your body and prevent diabetic complications from developing. Many of the effects of diabetes stem from the same guilty parties; namely high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and a lack of blood glucose control. Signs of diabetes When undiagnosed or uncontrolled, the effects of diabetes on the body can be noticed by the classic symptoms of diabetes, namely: Long term effects of diabetes on the body In addition to the symptoms, diabetes can cause long term damage to our body. The long term damage is commonly referred to as diabetic complications. Diabetes affects our blood vessels and nerves and therefore can affect any part of the body. However, certain parts of our body are affected more than other parts. Diabetic complications will usually take a number of years of poorly controlled diabetes to develop. Complications are not a certainty and can be kept at bay and prevented by maintaining a strong level of control on your diabetes, your blood pressure and cholesterol. These can all be helped by keeping to a healthy diet, avoiding cigarettes and alcohol, and incorporating regular activity into your daily regime in order to keep blood sugar levels within recommendedblood glucose level guidelines. The effect of diabetes on the heart Diabetes contributes to high blood pressure and is linked with high cholesterol which significantly increases the risk of heart attacks and cardiovascular disease. Diabetes and strokes Similar to how diabetes affects the heart, high blood pressure and cholesterol raises the risk of strokes. How diabetes affects the eyes As with all complications, this condition is brought on by a number of years of poorly controlled or uncontrolled diabetes Continue reading >>
How Diabetes Can Damage The Nervous System
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder which occurs due to impaired metabolism of glucose in the body. Considered to be a disease of the developed nations in the past, its prevalence is also rising in the developing parts of the world due to changing lifestyles and increasing stress. It has several long term complications on the body, but damage to the nervous system starts early and is one of the most common chronic complication. Damage to the nerves connecting the brain to limbs for feeling sensations and carrying out movements occurs earlier as compared to other complications. This leads to altered or reduced sensation over feet, hands and the limbs. Commonly, the abnormality starts from the feet. One may feel like insects crawling, a sensation of pin prick or coldness. Some persons get burning type of pain in the limbs. If the sensation is reduced, a person fails to perceive any pain and unknowingly may hurt himself leading to wounds or infection, more particularly in the feet. Apart from the peripheral nerves, sometimes the nerves present in brain can also be affected by diabetes. This results in one or more of the following manifestations like drooping of eyelids, blurred vision, and paralysis of one side of face and or tongue. All this generates much distress and disability. Involvement of the autonomic nervous system, one influencing involuntary functions of the body also becomes very troublesome for the affected person. Bowel movement can be altered, causing chronic diarrhea or constipation in a person with previously healthy bowel habits. This affects intake and the overall nutritional status of the individual resulting in weakness. Exaggerated, fall in blood pressure while standing or changing position makes a person feel giddy on standing. If severe, it ca Continue reading >>
How Diabetes Affects The Autonomic Nervous System
BioWorld Today Science Editor As clinicians meet this week at the American Diabetes Association 70th Scientific Sessions, much of the focus is on clinical-stage research. But basic researchers also continue to work out how diabetes does its damage. Along those lines, a new study described last week how diabetes leads to problems with the autonomic nervous system. Such problems, known as dysautonomias, are one of the secondary risks of diabetes. They are caused by problems with signaling of the autonomic nervous system – the part of the nervous system that controls smooth muscles, making it important in controlling organs and many involuntary actions. The functions of the autonomic nervous system "usually happen without really reaching our consciousness," Ellis Cooper told BioWorld Today. But if the autonomic nervous system doesn't work, "many homeostatic mechanisms don't work very well, either," including critical functions such as blood pressure and an appropriate regulation of heartbeat. And when they don't, the clinical consequences include cardiac arrythmia, gastrointestinal problems and poor control of blood pressure and circulation (which in turn can lead to problems with the limbs, especially the feet, that can in extreme cases necessitate amputation). In the June 24, 2010, edition of Neuron, Cooper, who is a professor of physiology at McGill University, and his colleagues showed that high blood sugar levels lead to deficits in synaptic transmission in the autonomic ganglia, which are the junctions where central nervous system nerves synapse onto, or connect to, the organs they control. "In normal healthy people, these synapses are healthy and robust," Cooper said. But when blood glucose is high, they become depressed: "What our work shows is that . . . when bl Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Your Eyes, Heart, Nerves, Feet, And Kidneys
Diabetes is a serious disease that can affect your eyes, heart, nerves, feet and kidneys. Understanding how diabetes affects your body is important. It can help you follow your treatment plan and stay as healthy as possible. If your diabetes is not well controlled, the sugar level in your blood goes up. This is called “hyperglycemia” (high blood sugar). High blood sugar can cause damage to very small blood vessels in your body. Imagine what happens to sugar when it is left unwrapped overnight. It gets sticky. Now imagine how sugar “sticks” to your small blood vessels and makes it hard for blood to get to your organs. Damage to blood vessels occurs most often in the eyes, heart, nerves, feet, and kidneys. Let’s look at how this damage happens. Eyes. Having high levels of sugar in your blood for a long time can harm the tiny blood vessels in your eyes. This can result in vision problems or blindness. Heart. High blood sugar may also harm larger blood vessels in your body that supply oxygen to your heart and brain. Fat can build up in the blood vessels as well. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Nerves. Nerves carry important messages between your brain and other parts of your body. Having high levels of sugar in your blood for many years can damage the blood vessels that bring oxygen to some nerves. Damaged nerves may stop sending pain signals. Feet. Diabetes can harm your feet in two ways. First, it can damage your body’s nerves. Nerve damage stops you from feeling pain or other problems in your feet. Another way that diabetes can cause damage to your feet is from poor blood circulation. Poor blood flow makes it hard for a sore or infection to heal. If sores don’t heal and get infected, it can lead to amputation. Kidneys. Think of your kidneys like Continue reading >>
Diabetic Neuropathy
Diabetes is the most common cause of neuropathy. Half of all people with diabetes will develop neuropathy. The nerves of the feet are most commonly affected by diabetic neuropathy. The feet are usually numb, although many people also experience significant discomfort and pain. Most people with diabetic neuropathy are unaware that they have nerve damage, until it is picked up on routine screening by their doctor or when they develop complications. Although there is no cure, early diagnosis and treatment can improve quality of life and reduce the risk of further complications. On this page: Neuropathy means damage to the nerves of the peripheral nervous system. Diabetes is the most common cause of neuropathy. It most commonly affects the nerves to the feet and hands, but any nerves can be involved, including those that control internal organs (autonomic nerves). Up to half of all people with diabetes develop neuropathy during the course of their disease. There is no cure. Management aims to ease symptoms and reduce the risk of further complications. Symptoms of diabetic neuropathy Most people with diabetic neuropathy are unaware that they have nerve damage, until it is picked up on routine screening by their doctor. Typical symptoms vary from person to person, but may include one or more of numbness, pins and needles, tingling, discomfort, or weakness, which usually begin in both feet and spread symmetrically up the legs (like stockings). About half of those people with diabetic neuropathy experience significant pain in their feet and increased sensitivity to painful stimuli (known as neuropathic pain or painful neuropathy).Neuropathic pain is often worse at night, and can seriously disrupt sleep patterns. These symptoms can have a major effect on health and wellbeing bec Continue reading >>
Autonomic Neuropathy
Print Overview Autonomic neuropathy occurs when the nerves that control involuntary bodily functions are damaged. This may affect blood pressure, temperature control, digestion, bladder function and even sexual function. The nerve damage interferes with the messages sent between the brain and other organs and areas of the autonomic nervous system, such as the heart, blood vessels and sweat glands. While diabetes is generally the most common cause of autonomic neuropathy, other health conditions — even an infection — may be to blame. Some medications also may cause nerve damage. Symptoms and treatment will vary based on which nerves are damaged. Symptoms Signs and symptoms of autonomic neuropathy vary based on the nerves affected. They may include: Dizziness and fainting when standing caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure. Urinary problems, such as difficulty starting urination, incontinence, difficulty sensing a full bladder and inability to completely empty the bladder, which can lead to urinary tract infections. Sexual difficulties, including problems achieving or maintaining an erection (erectile dysfunction) or ejaculation problems in men and vaginal dryness, low libido and difficulty reaching orgasm in women. Difficulty digesting food, such as feeling full after a few bites of food, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal bloating, nausea, vomiting, difficulty swallowing and heartburn, all due to changes in digestive function. Sweating abnormalities, such as sweating too much or too little, which affects the ability to regulate body temperature. Sluggish pupil reaction, making it difficult to adjust from light to dark and seeing well when driving at night. Exercise intolerance, which may occur if your heart rate stays the same instead of adjusti Continue reading >>
Diabetic Neuropathy (nerve Damage) - An Update
Nerve damage or diabetic neuropathy resulting from chronically high blood glucose can be one of the most frustrating and debilitating complications of diabetes because of the pain, discomfort and disability it can cause, and because available treatments are not uniformly successful. Some patients find some relief from this nerve damage or neuropathy by keeping blood sugars as closely controlled as possible, getting regular exercise and keeping their weight under control. Using non-narcotic pain relievers consistently throughout the day—rather than waiting until nighttime when symptoms can become more severe—also seems to help if pain is the major symptom. Surprisingly, clinicians have also found that certain antidepressants may be helpful and can take the edge off the pain of neuropathy. Although pain or numbness in the legs or feet may be the most common complaint from people diagnosed with neuropathy, it is not the only symptom of this complication. Neuropathy can cause a host of different types of symptoms, depending on whether nerves in the legs, gastrointestinal tract, or elsewhere in the body are affected. If you have any of these symptoms, neuropathy may be the culprit: inability to adequately empty the bladder of its contents, resulting in frequent infections; nausea, vomiting, abdominal fullness or bloating, diarrhea, or constipation; low blood pressure upon standing that causes fainting or dizziness; inability to lift the foot or new deformities of the foot, or foot ulcers; trouble achieving or maintaining an erection. Although physicians have found some medications and other treatments that help ease these symptoms in some people, prevention continues to be the key. "Hemoglobin A1C readings should ideally be at 7.0% or lower. Those that are consistently n Continue reading >>
Diabetic Central Neuropathy: Cns Damage Related To Hyperglycemia
Diabetes is a syndrome defined by higher than normal blood glucose levels. Those higher blood glucose levels are associated with the development of physical abnormalities termed complications. Those abnormalities are found in small blood vessels and cause pathology termed retinopathy and nephropathy. Small-vessel abnormalities are part of cardiovascular and peripheral nerve pathology as well. Larger–blood vessel abnormalities are manifest as atherosclerotic plaques that stiffen and reduce blood flow while causing embolic occlusions. This results in ischemic hearts, lungs, and brains, causing life-devastating and -ending events. High glucose levels have been associated with nonvascular damage to the lens of the eye, peripheral nerve, myelin sheath, and nonmyelinated autonomic nerves. These abnormalities cause cataracts, loss of sensation, and proprioception, as well as dysregulation of autonomic function. Autonomic dysfunction compromises normal blood flow, gastric motility, temperature regulation, and sexual function. Preventing these issues has made lowering blood glucose a major goal in the management of diabetes. There has been little concern about the influence of hyperglycemia on the structure or function of the central nervous system (CNS). The major CNS concern related to diabetes is the opposite issue, hypoglycemia. The symptoms of hypoglycemia are very dramatic, involving intoxicated behavior and mentation, seizures, and loss of consciousness. On occasion, hypoglycemia-induced hemiparesis will result in an extensive medical evaluation and rehabilitation. Generally, these abnormalities are transient and result in no enduring problem for the patient. Moreover, the brain is protected from high glucose exposure in the peripheral blood by the blood-brain barrier, Continue reading >>
