Diabetes Complications
If you have diabetes, your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Over time, this can cause problems with other body functions, such as your kidneys, nerves, feet, and eyes. Having diabetes can also put you at a higher risk for heart disease and bone and joint disorders. Other long-term complications of diabetes include skin problems, digestive problems, sexual dysfunction, and problems with your teeth and gums. Very high or very low blood sugar levels can also lead to emergencies in people with diabetes. The cause can be an underlying infection, certain medicines, or even the medicines you take to control your diabetes. If you feel nauseated, sluggish or shaky, seek emergency care. NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Continue reading >>
What Is Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas, that acts like a key to let glucose from the food we eat pass from the blood stream into the cells in the body to produce energy. All carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose in the blood. Insulin helps glucose get into the cells. Not being able to produce insulin or use it effectively leads to raised glucose levels in the blood (known as hyperglycaemia). Over the long-term high glucose levels are associated with damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues. Continue reading >>
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Diabetes Complications In Dogs And Cats: Diabetes Ketoacidosis (dka)
Unfortunately, we veterinarians are seeing an increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats. This is likely due to the growing prevalence of obesity (secondary to inactive lifestyle, a high carbohydrate diet, lack of exercise, etc.). So, if you just had a dog or cat diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, what do you do? First, we encourage you to take a look at these articles for an explanation of the disease: Diabetes Mellitus (Sugar Diabetes) in Dogs Once you have a basic understanding of diabetes mellitus (or if you already had one), this article will teach you about life-threatening complications that can occur as a result of the disease; specifically, I discuss a life-threatening condition called diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA) so that you know how to help prevent it! What is DKA? When diabetes goes undiagnosed, or when it is difficult to control or regulate, the complication of DKA can occur. DKA develops because the body is so lacking in insulin that the sugar can’t get into the cells -- resulting in cell starvation. Cell starvation causes the body to start breaking down fat in an attempt to provide energy (or a fuel source) to the body. Unfortunately, these fat breakdown products, called “ketones,” are also poisonous to the body. Symptoms of DKA Clinical signs of DKA include the following: Weakness Not moving (in cats, hanging out by the water bowl) Not eating to complete anorexia Large urinary clumps in the litter box (my guideline? If it’s bigger than a tennis ball, it’s abnormal) Weight loss (most commonly over the back), despite an overweight body condition Excessively dry or oily skin coat Abnormal breath (typically a sweet “ketotic” odor) In severe cases DKA can also result in more significant signs: Abnormal breathing pattern Jaundice Ab Continue reading >>
Complications Of Diabetes
Complications are the negative effects of having a condition or illness, and there are a range of complications that may develop with diabetes. However it is important to remember that not everyone with diabetes will develop all or some of the complications. Understanding your diabetes and following the advice of your medical professional will lower your risk. Many of the complications of diabetes are much more likely to occur if you have high blood glucose levels or high blood pressure over long periods of time. Keeping both your blood glucose level and your blood pressure at a healthy range is your best defence against developing the complications of diabetes. Remember that every improvement you make to your blood glucose level or blood pressure will reduce your risk of developing complications. You don’t have to be in the target range to reduce your risks, although you will get the best improvement the closer your blood pressure and blood glucose are to target levels. It may seem daunting, but the good news is that there are things you can do to reduce your risk of developing complications, and if you have already developed a complication it’s likely there are things you can do manage it. On the side bar is more information on different complications and what you can do to stay well. For many years diabetes has been the leading cause of people developing blindness in New Zealand. However, with new advances in how to prevent or… Kidneys Having diabetes can damage the small blood vessels in your body. This is particularly so if your blood glucose levels or blood pressure remain high… Even common foot problems can be dangerous for people with diabetes, as they may lead to more serious foot problems. Impotence is a side effect of diabetes for many men. Impotence Continue reading >>
Complications
Know the difference between acute and chronic complications. Acute complications can arise quickly. Chronic complications tend to arise over years or decades. Know the differences and you will be able to take effective precautions against both. Acute Complications Serious, life-threatening complications can arise quickly. Fortunately, such complications can go away just as quickly if you – and those closest to you — know what to do and how to do it. Acute complications arise from uncontrolled high blood sugars (hyperglycemia) and low blood sugars (hypoglycemia) caused by a mismatching of available insulin and need. In short, you either have taken too much diabetes medication or too little. Some acute complications require immediate medical attention. These emergencies include: Chronic Complications Chronic complications tend to arise over years or decades. Often, there is damage before there are symptoms so routine screening is recommended to catch and treat problems before they occur or get worse. Learn more about chronic complications. Problems include: VIGILANCE AND A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE PUT YOU IN CONTROL Self-assessment Quiz Self assessment quizzes are available for topics covered in this website. To find out how much you have learned about Diabetes Complications, take our self assessment quiz when you have completed this section. The quiz is multiple choice. Please choose the single best answer to each question. At the end of the quiz, your score will display. If your score is over 70% correct, you are doing very well. If your score is less than 70%, you can return to this section and review the information. Continue reading >>
What To Know About Long-term Diabetes Complications
Living with diabetes brings many daily challenges and frustrations. You have to watch your blood glucose levels, pay close attention to what and when you eat, and take medications, including insulin. Added to that burden is the realization that if you don’t, your health could be seriously compromised in years to come. Poorly controlled diabetes can lead over time to a number of complications. Some — like heart disease, stroke and kidney disease — can be life-threatening. “The biggest one is cardiovascular disease,” said Arch Mainous III, a diabetes researcher and chair of the department of health services research, management and policy at the University of Florida’s College of Public Health and Health Professions. Unfortunately, some damage may even occur before an individual is diagnosed with diabetes. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of people with diabetes; those with diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. “The problem is diabetes takes a long time to develop, and by the time somebody becomes symptomatic, they’re kind of down the road on some of these target complications,” Mainous said. Prediabetes Is a Growing Threat Because diabetes may hide in the body for years, millions at risk for the disease are not aware of it, Mainous said. In fact, a huge proportion of the American population — 39 percent, or 86 million adults — have prediabetes. And about 90 percent of those cases are undiagnosed, Mainous said. “So there’s a whole lot more people at risk for developing diabetes, [but] if you identify these people, you can keep them from progressing to diabetes. You can even reverse them back to a normal blood glucose level,” he said. Long-Term Diabetes Complications Complications of diabetes include these Continue reading >>
Macrovascular Diabetes Complications
A A A Topic Overview Macrovascular diabetes complications are diseases and conditions of the large blood vessels caused by diabetes. These complications can occur in blood vessels in any part of the body. Factors that can contribute to macrovascular complications are high blood sugar, insulin resistance, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, and abnormalities in blood clotting. Doctors do not understand what causes some people to develop diabetes complications while others do not. Some people may have tissue and unidentified factors that are resistant to damage. Lifestyle and inherited factors may also affect the risk for complications. For example, if you smoke, you are at higher risk for heart and blood vessel disease than someone who does not smoke. Macrovascular diabetes complications include heart disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease. Heart disease People with diabetes are at risk for heart attack and other heart problems. If you have diabetic neuropathy, especially if it affects the internal organs (autonomic neuropathy), you may not have heart-related symptoms or may have symptoms that are not typical of heart problems. As a result, you may not seek medical help early enough to prevent serious problems or even death. Be sure to seek care very early, even if your symptoms are not serious and even if you think your symptoms are not related to your heart. Stroke People who have diabetes are more likely to have a stroke than people who do not have diabetes. Plaque buildup and clot formation cause blockage in the blood vessels leading to the brain. People with diabetes often have high blood pressure, which can cause abnormalities in the small blood vessels of the brain and lead to stroke. Peripheral arterial disease People with diabetes are at ri Continue reading >>
Diabetic Complications
Diabetes mellitus is a disease of glucose dysregulation secondary to relative insulin resistance (non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus) or an absolute insulin deficiency (insulin dependent diabetes mellitus). The pathophysiology and management of uncomplicated diabetes mellitus is too involved to describe here. Most veterinarians feel comfortable diagnosing diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats, and the diagnostics are straightforward and easy to interpret. Currently the options for long acting insulin include glargine, humulin N, detemir, porcine zinc (Vetsulin™) and protamine zinc (ProZinc™). Most of these products are human recombinant insulins. No insulin type has been definitively shown to be better than another in a single species. Several small studies within the last 4 years have suggested, however, that glargine and detemir may achieve better glycemic control and remission rates in cats when compared to humulin N and protamine zinc insulins. Several excellent resources to turn to for more information include Feline Internal Medicine (August JR 2010), Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Ettinger SJ, Feldman EC 2010), Current Veterinary Therapy XIII, XIV (Bonagura JD, Twedt DC 2009). Table 1 compares the most commonly used long acting insulins in dogs and cats. Table 1. Comparison of different types of insulin most commonly used in dogs and cats. Insulin Syringe Source Dose Humulin N u-100 Human recombinant Dogs and cats 0.1-0.2 u/kg q 12 hr Protamine Zinc, ProZinc™ u-40 Human recombinant Cats only 0.2 – 0.7 u/kg q 12 hr Glargine, Lantus ™ u-100 Synthetic 0.25 – 0.5 u/kg q12 hr Detemir , Levemir ™ u-100 Human recombinant Cats 0.25 – 0.5 u/kg q 12hr Dogs 0.1 – 0.2 u/kg q 12 hr Porcine Zinc, Vetsulin ™ u-40 Porcine Cats 1 – 2 u/kg q 12hr Continue reading >>
Diabetes Complications
Complications caused by diabetes People with diabetes must routinely monitor and regulate their blood sugar. No matter how careful you may be, there’s still a possibility that a problem might arise. There are two types of complications you may experience: acute and chronic. Acute complications require emergency care. Examples include hypoglycemia and ketoacidosis. If left untreated, these conditions can cause: seizures loss of consciousness death Chronic complications occur when diabetes isn’t managed properly. Diabetes causes high blood sugar levels. If not controlled well over time, high blood sugar levels can damage various organs, including the: eyes kidneys heart skin Unmanaged diabetes can also cause nerve damage. People with diabetes can experience sudden drops in their blood sugar. Skipping a meal or taking too much insulin or other medications that increase insulin levels in the body are common causes. People who are on other diabetes medications that do not increase insulin levels are not at risk for hypoglycemia. Symptoms can include: blurry vision rapid heartbeat headache shaking dizziness If your blood sugar gets too low, you can experience fainting, seizures, or coma. This is a complication of diabetes that occurs when your body cannot use sugar, or glucose, as a fuel source because your body has no insulin or not enough insulin. If your cells are starved for energy, your body begins to break down fat. Potentially toxic acids called ketone bodies, which are byproducts of fat breakdown, build up in the body. This can lead to: dehydration abdominal pain breathing problems Diabetes can damage blood vessels in the eyes and cause various problems. Possible eye conditions may include: Cataracts Cataracts are two to five times more likely to develop in people Continue reading >>
Complications Of Diabetes Mellitus
In patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), years of poorly controlled hyperglycemia lead to multiple, primarily vascular, complications that affect small vessels (microvascular), large vessels (macrovascular), or both. The mechanisms by which vascular disease develops include Glycosylation of serum and tissue proteins with formation of advanced glycation end products Activation of protein kinase C, a signaling molecule that increases vascular permeability and causes endothelial dysfunction Accelerated hexosamine biosynthetic and polyol pathways leading to sorbitol accumulation within tissues Proinflammatory and prothrombotic effects of hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia that impair vascular autoregulation Immune dysfunction is another major complication and develops from the direct effects of hyperglycemia on cellular immunity. Microvascular disease underlies 3 common and devastating manifestations of diabetes mellitus: Microvascular disease may also impair skin healing, so that even minor breaks in skin integrity can develop into deeper ulcers and easily become infected, particularly in the lower extremities. Intensive control of plasma glucose can prevent or delay many of these complications but may not reverse them once established. Macrovascular disease involves atherosclerosis of large vessels, which can lead to Immune dysfunction is another major complication and develops from the direct effects of hyperglycemia on cellular immunity. Diabetic patients are particularly susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections. Continue reading >>
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Diabetes Complications
Search the A-Z of complications: Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to a number of short and long-term health complications, including hypoglycemia, heart disease, nerve damage and amputation, and vision problems. The majority of these diabetes-related conditions occur as a result of uncontrolled blood glucose levels, particularly elevated blood sugar over a prolonged period of time. It is essential that diabetics are aware of the complications that can occur as a result of diabetes to ensure that the first symptoms of any possible illness are spotted before they develop. In this section, you'll find information on all of the diseases, illnesses and disorders that are linked to diabetes, including the different causes, symptoms and treatments for each condition. How common are complications of diabetes? It is common for most people with diabetes to begin to develop complications after having diabetes for a number of years. With good diabetes control and living a healthy, active lifestyle, it is possible for people to go a number of decades complication free. However, if you have had less well controlled diabetes, have led a less healthy lifestyle, or had undiagnosed diabetes for a number of years, the complications of diabetes are more likely to develop earlier. Why do complications occur? Scientists still do not fully understand how complications develop. What is known, however, is that high blood glucose levels cause damage to the blood vessels and nerves which supply our organs and therefore result in impaired functioning of any affected organs. How do I prevent complications? The risk of developing complications can be reduced by following a number of healthy lifestyle steps: Reducing your HbA1c Large scale research studies have shown that the chances of developing the Continue reading >>
Avoiding Complications Of Diabetes
It can take work to get your diabetes under control, but the results are worth it. If you don't make the effort to get a handle on it, you could set yourself up for a host of complications. Diabetes can take a toll on nearly every organ in your body, including the: Heart and blood vessels Eyes Kidneys Nerves Gastrointestinal tract Gums and teeth Heart and Blood Vessels Heart disease and blood vessel disease are common problems for many people who don’t have their diabetes under control. You're at least twice as likely to have heart problems and strokes as people who don’t have the condition. Blood vessel damage or nerve damage may also cause foot problems that, in rare cases, can lead to amputations. People with diabetes are ten times likelier to have their toes and feet removed than those without the disease. Symptoms: You might not notice warning signs until you have a heart attack or stroke. Problems with large blood vessels in your legs can cause leg cramps, changes in skin color, and less sensation. The good news: Many studies show that controlling your diabetes can help you avoid these problems, or stop them from getting worse if you have them. Diabetes is the leading cause of new vision loss among adults ages 20 to 74 in the U.S. It can lead to eye problems, some of which can cause blindness if not treated: Glaucoma Cataracts Diabetic retinopathy, which involves the small blood vessels in your eyes Symptoms: Vision problems or sudden vision loss. The good news: Studies show that regular eye exams and timely treatment of these kinds of problems could prevent up to 90% of diabetes-related blindness. *CGM-based treatment requires fingersticks for calibration, if patient is taking acetaminophen, or if symptoms/expectations do not match CGM readings, and if not pe Continue reading >>
Long-term Complications Of Diabetes
It is important to keep your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol in a healthy range. You should learn these basic steps for managing diabetes and staying as healthy as possible. Steps may include: A healthy diet Exercise Medicines You may need to check your blood sugar daily or more often. Your health care provider will also help you by ordering blood tests and other tests. All these may help you keep complications of diabetes away. You will need to check your blood sugar level at home. You will use a special device called a glucose meter to test your blood sugar. Your provider will let you know if you need to check it every day and how many times each day. Your provider will also tell you what blood sugar numbers you are trying to achieve. This is called managing your blood sugar. These goals will be set for different times during the day. To prevent heart disease and stroke, you may be asked to take medicine and change your diet and activity: Your provider may ask you to take a medicine called an ACE inhibitor or a different medicine called an ARB, for high blood pressure or kidney problems. Your provider may ask you to take a medicine called a statin to keep your cholesterol down. Your provider may ask you to take aspirin to prevent heart attacks. Ask your provider if aspirin is right for you. Regular exercise is good for people with diabetes. Talk to your provider first about what exercises are best for you and how much exercise you should do every day. DO NOT smoke. Smoking makes diabetes complications worse. If you do smoke, work with your provider to find a way to quit. To keep your feet healthy, you should: Get a foot exam by your provider at least every 6 to 12 months and learn whether you have nerve damage. Make sure you are wearing the right kinds of Continue reading >>
Symptoms
Print Overview Diabetes mellitus refers to a group of diseases that affect how your body uses blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is vital to your health because it's an important source of energy for the cells that make up your muscles and tissues. It's also your brain's main source of fuel. If you have diabetes, no matter what type, it means you have too much glucose in your blood, although the causes may differ. Too much glucose can lead to serious health problems. Chronic diabetes conditions include type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Potentially reversible diabetes conditions include prediabetes — when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes — and gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy but may resolve after the baby is delivered. Diabetes symptoms vary depending on how much your blood sugar is elevated. Some people, especially those with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, may not experience symptoms initially. In type 1 diabetes, symptoms tend to come on quickly and be more severe. Some of the signs and symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are: Increased thirst Frequent urination Extreme hunger Unexplained weight loss Presence of ketones in the urine (ketones are a byproduct of the breakdown of muscle and fat that happens when there's not enough available insulin) Fatigue Irritability Blurred vision Slow-healing sores Frequent infections, such as gums or skin infections and vaginal infections Although type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, it typically appears during childhood or adolescence. Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, can develop at any age, though it's more common in people older than 40. When to see a doctor If you suspect you or your child may have diabetes. If you notice any poss Continue reading >>
Managing Complications Of Diabetes In Later Life
Resources Tools and Tips About one in every four older adults has diabetes—and many also have complications of the disease. If you are 65 or older and have diabetes, here is what you need to know about managing some common complications of diabetes in later life: Common Complications What Should You Do? High Blood Pressure High blood pressure (hypertension) is very common in people with diabetes. Older adults who have high blood pressure are at increased risk for strokes and heart attacks. High blood pressure can also affect your vision, kidneys, and circulation. It is very important to have your blood pressure checked regularly. Talk to your healthcare provider about how to lower your blood pressure if it is high. Depression Older adults with diabetes have an increased risk of depression. Living with diabetes can be demanding and stressful – and that may contribute to depression. Common signs of depression in older people include: Sadness Feeling tired often Losing interest in things you used to enjoy Having sleep problems, either difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much Gaining or losing a lot of weight Finding it difficult to do things you need to do Talk to your healthcare provider if you have symptoms of depression. There are many treatments for depression and your provider can help you find the best choice for you. He or she should see you for a check-up within six weeks of your starting treatment to make sure the treatment is working and does not cause unwanted side effects. Because diabetes can increase risk of depression, all older adults should be checked for signs of depression within three months of being diagnosed with diabetes. Falls Older adults have an increased risk of falls that can cause serious injuries. Having diabetes increases that risk even m Continue reading >>
