12 Silent Diabetes Complications You Need To Know About—and How To Avoid Them

12 Silent Diabetes Complications You Need to Know About—and How to Avoid Them

Diabetes complications: Serious, but preventable
Purestock/Thinkstock
Everyone knows about the worst-worst-worst case scenarios. But the experts Reader’s Digest interviewed assured us that they’re rare—and very preventable. “Just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean you will lose your sight or your kidneys or your legs,” says Aaron Cypess, MD, PhD, investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. “None of these things has to happen. You can stop or reverse the progression and get back your quality of life.”
The key is to be aware of the risks that can happen when diabetes isn’t well controlled (these everyday habits can ruin diabetes control)—and work with your doctors to make sure yours is.
iStock/Thinkstock
People with diabetes don’t have as much saliva, which can lead to dry mouth and a greater risk of cavities and gum disease, says George L. King, MD, research director at Joslin Diabetes Center, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and author of The Diabetes Reset. And you need a normal blood sugar to maintain proper oral health, says Dr. Cypess. “It’s very important for people with diabetes to have regular evaluations of their teeth and gums, or else they could lose them. People with diabetes need to be more vigilant about brushing, flossing, and seeing a dentist than a person ordinarily would be.” Here are some things your dentist wishes you would do differently.
Fuse/Thinkstock
Almost 10 percent of people with type 2 diabetes get urinary tract infecti Continue reading

Rate this article

Total 1 ratings

Apple reportedly working on noninvasive diabetes sensors

Apple is reportedly working on an initiative that may one day make diabetics' frequent and painful finger pricking a thing of the past.
The tech giant has a team of biomedical engineers working on sensors that will allow diabetics to monitor their blood sugar levels noninvasively, CNBC reported Wednesday. Diabetes is said to be one of the fastest growing diseases in the world, affecting one in 11 adults around the globe, according to the World Health Organization.
The efforts have been going on for at least five years, with Apple already conducting feasibility trials at clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area, sources told the business news channel.
In order to keep blood sugar levels in check, diabetics must give themselves multiple finger prick blood tests throughout the day. These tests can be time consuming and painful. But they're crucial -- if glucose levels get out of control, diabetics risk damage to their eyes, kidneys and heart.
Other tech companies have tried and so far failed to develop a testing procedure that avoids piercing the skin. Google said three years ago that it was working on contact lenses with sensors "so small they look like bits of glitter" to help diabetics monitor their glucose levels, but so far no product has been released.
Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Updated at 5:50 p.m. PT Continue reading

Diabetes Without Symptoms Is Still Diabetes

An estimated 24 million Americans have diabetes, but according to the CDC, one-quarter to one-third don’t know it. How can so many individuals be unaware that they have diabetes? Certainly, one major factor is the absence of symptoms. This is a hallmark of both prediabetes and the early stages of type 2 diabetes.
Signs and Symptoms
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes share such symptoms as unquenchable thirst with frequent urination, unexpected weight loss, fatigue, extreme hunger and blurred vision.
Another symptom experienced by people with type 2 diabetes is increased frequency of infections and cuts, or bruises that do not heal quickly. The onset of symptoms tends to be more gradual for people with type 2 diabetes than for those with type 1.
The gradual nature of prediabetes—often a precursor to type 2 diabetes—can disguise actual diabetic symptoms and prevent early diagnosis. As a result, it is especially important for individuals who have some diabetes risk factors to be aware of the symptoms and to watch for their appearance.
The appearance of any of these symptoms is a good reason to see a health care professional.
Risk Factors
Diabetes, particularly type 2, has a hereditary component. If an individual with diabetes has a family member with the disease, that individual has an increased chance of developing it as well. Other major risk factors include smoking, being overweight or inactive, or having high cholesterol or high blood pressure.
Age, ethnicity (of European descent for type 1, and of African, Asian, Hispanic, American Indian or Pacific Islander descent fo Continue reading

Invokana diabetes drug faces Canadian class-action lawsuit

Jack Julian is a data journalist in the Halifax newsroom. This is a new position, and he's excited about it. He likes surprises in his stories. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @jackjulian
The diabetes drug Invokana, recently adopted by Nova Scotia's pharmacare program, is now the subject of a national class-action lawsuit.
Court documents filed at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice allege the drug can cause kidney damage or death in some of those who take it.
"We believe that Invokana is a very risky drug for kidney failure, and that the medical profession and users of the drug should be alerted to the dangers and consider very carefully whether they continue on Invokana," said Tony Merchant, the Regina-based lawyer whose company, Merchant Law Group, is behind the lawsuit.
The class action has not been certified. Merchant said he expects that to happen in the next six to seven months.
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
Under Nova Scotia law, the action must first be certified as a class action before it can proceed.
Invokana was created by the multinational drug company Janssen Inc., and was approved by Health Canada in May 2014.
The Nova Scotia government added Invokana to the province's pharmacare formulary on Sept. 1, the third province to do so after Ontario and Quebec.
Scarborough woman at centre of lawsuit
Invokana isn't the only diabetes drug before the Canadian courts.
Lawyers in Halifax argued Tuesday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court for the certification of a class action suit against the drug Avandia from GlaxoSmithKline. Avandia is an insulin s Continue reading

UK fifth highest in world for child type 1 diabetes

The UK ranks the fifth highest in the world for the rate of children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, figures reveal.
Each year in the UK more than 24 in every 100,000 children aged 14 and younger are told that they have this form of diabetes, which must be treated with insulin.
Experts say it is unclear why the figure is so high.
Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 is not linked to obesity or lifestyle.
Genes do appear to play a role.
The government said it had introduced an "incentive scheme" to ensure that every child has the best care possible, along with regional networks to share expertise in children's diabetes care across the NHS.
The league table, based on estimates from the International Diabetes Federation, includes most countries - apart from a few African nations, where often the rate of type 1 incidence is unknown.
Of all the countries with data, only Finland, Sweden, Saudi Arabia and Norway have higher rates than the UK.
The UK rate is double that in France (12.2 per 100,000) and Italy (12.1 per 100,000).
UK charities Diabetes UK and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) say it is vital that people are aware of the symptoms of type 1 diabetes because if left undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to serious illness and even death.
A quarter of the 2,000 children a year who develop diabetes are only diagnosed once they are already seriously ill.
Increasingly common
Barbara Young, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: "We do not fully understand why more children in the UK are developing type 1 diabetes than almost anywhere else in the world. But the fact Continue reading