The Complications of Diabetes

Were you aware that the most common reason people with diabetes check into hospital is due to foot related problems? That's right. People expect to hear that hospital visits are caused by insulin or the kidneys, and when they discover that feet are the primary reason you'll see expressions that are quizzical, puzzled, and bemused. Yet the problem with feet, as any doctor or person with diabetes will tell you, is serious indeed. And it is just one of what can seem like countless complications that can arise from this very serious disease.

Nerve Damage and Diabetes

Our sensory nerves are the body's Early Warning System. Touch something hot and your nervous system, in a millisecond, is on it. We all know how fast we pull back from the hot handle of a pot on the stove. Indeed, does the human body ever move faster than at times like that?

These are our sensory nerves in action, warning us, protecting us.

Diabetes, however, can seriously damage the sensory nerves, thus robbing you of these crucial warnings ("Let go of the pot!") and thus placing you, well, in potentially grave danger.

Feet come into play because the damage to nerves tends to occur more often at the extremities, like the feet and hands. The loss of sensation that results can lead to your becoming more prone to injury, mostly because you'd be less aware that an injury had even occurred.

For example, a person with diabetes may have an incident that results in what appears to be a minor ankle sprain or twist (Indeed, it hardly even hurt.). They may walk it off and continue walking., and without even realizing it inflict even more damage on an already serious sprain.

This results because although the nervous system reports, "Don't walk. It's a bad sprain.", in the case of the person with diabetes, those sensory nerves have become numbed. The end result is that the body's Early Warning System is muted. This effect on the nervous system can be one of the most serious complications of diabetes.

The Seriousness of Nicks and Cuts

With diabetes-related nerve damage, the tiniest nick or cut on the sole of your foot could become seriously infected before you even knew it was there.

That's because you don't feel the pain or discomfort that the rest of us feel right away. You don't receive that signal from the nervous system that leads us to promptly inspect, wash and dress the wound, no matter how small or painless a wound it may be.

To put into perspective just how serious nicks and cuts can be, amputation within the diabetes community is much higher than in the general population.

So next time your lying on the beach, or sitting in the locker room, and you see a person next to you using a compact mirror to inspect the soles of their feet, that person likely has diabetes.

Common Complications Associated with Diabetes

For the person with diabetes, the list of potential complications that can arise from the disease is long and varied. If you're diabetic, familiarizing yourself with these complications is crucial to maintaining good health. Here's a list of some of the more common complications. (In a moment, we'll talk prevention.)

• People with diabetes are at higher risk than the general population for heart disease and stroke. (That four out of five people with diabetes die of heart disease is a truly sobering statistic.)
• About a quarter of diabetics show symptoms of depression, and depression is twice as common among people with diabetes as it is within the general population. (It's important to note that depression, like diabetes, has long been associated with blood glucose levels.)
• Diabetes is the most common cause of blindness in people under 65
• Diabetes can affect circulation, which can have a detrimental effect on the body's ability to heal, which can make even minor injuries (like those nicks and cuts and sprains) much more serious.
• Skin problems are not uncommon among people with diabetes. Problems occur due to fluctuating blood sugar levels. (When blood glucose levels are too high, for example, the body loses fluid and the skin may become overly dry.)
• There is an increased threat of thyroid conditions in people with diabetes. (Like diabetes, thyroid diseases are diseases of the endocrine system, the system of glands that regulates the body's metabolism.)
• Diabetes can cause complications around sexual health (especially erectile dysfunction)
• And there are gastrointestinal problems, as digestion is affected by diabetes. (This is yet another reason why diet and nutrition is so important in the treatment of diabetes.)

Yes, diabetes is known for its complications.

The good news, however, is that these complications can be avoided.

They can be avoided with a surprisingly basic approach, too (nutrition and exercise factor large, for example). So while diabetes is a very serious disease, science does have a hold on it. In other words, regimens have been developed that enable even those with serious diabetes to live normal, healthy lives.

The Most Important Thing to Know About These Complications

The most important thing to know is that many of the complications that arise from diabetes -- those listed here and more -- are related to one thing:

Blood sugar levels (also known as blood glucose levels).

Of course, insulin is an all-encompassing factor of diabetes, and everyone knows of the association between diabetes and insulin (especially the daily injections required with Type 1 diabetes), but insulin is given, remember, to keep blood glucose levels stable.

So for the person with diabetes, blood glucose levels must be kept squarely in the sights at all times. Levels must be monitored closely and put under constant scrutiny, by you and your doctor both. Levels should never become too low, because low blood sugar leads to many of the complications we've mentioned here.

(In diabetes circles, you'll hear the phrase "target range," which is the level at which your blood glucose should be kept in order to ensure optimal health.)

These blood glucose levels are so important. Indeed, when the person with diabetes keeps good watch on them (again, diet and exercise are key) many of the complications of diabetes, from the merely unpleasant to the serious and even life-threatening, may be avoided entirely.

And what does it all come down to? That's right: When it comes to avoiding the complications that can arise from diabetes, in addition to insulin it comes down to maintaining healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle. That's the key to staying in your target range.

Ways to Prevent Diabetes Related Complications

Preventive measures for the complications mentioned here tend to be very straightforward.

The many skin irritations that can arise from diabetes, for example, may be kept in check simply by taking extra measures to keep the skin moist and hydrated. This can be with special creams and lotions prescribed by your doctor or dermatologist, or sometimes it is only the more simple things that are required, like drinking lots of fluids, and taking warm showers and not hot ones (hot water dries the skin).

Even with the more serious complications, like increased risk of heart disease and stroke, can be helped. While medications are available to people with diabetes to lessen the chance of heart disease and stroke (current drug regimens work wonders, and they continue to evolve and improve) parts two and three of the trinity are -- you guessed it! -- diet and exercise.

With thyroid disease, there are several treatment options available and they range from daily medication that helps to stabilize the thyroid gland, to the complete removal of the gland.

For people with diabetes who suffer from depression, therapy, along with antidepressant medications, can help with both mood and blood glucose levels, and both are as safe for the person with diabetes and for the non-diabetic.

So despite the drug cocktail your physician may prescribe to help lessen your risk of these and other complications, you can bet that in the same breath he will say, "Go for walks," and "No ice cream."

That's because the best way to manage your diabetes and to live a long, healthy life is to follow the rules that apply to everyone else, only a bit more stringently.

For example, most people can afford to put on a few extra pounds. It's not advised, no; but still, it usually doesn't have an immediate impact on our health.

No so for the person with diabetes, for that extra weight can throw the deliicate bodily systems out of balance (and if it's about anything, diabetes is about balance). That extra weight may also mean a new dose of insulin must be calibrated. And of course, the additional weight means more stress on the heart -- not good for the person with diabetes, who is already at higher risk for heart disease.

So you can see why eating right and getting some exercise are magnified many times for the person with diabetes -- they are, quite literally, "doctor's orders."

However, it has been shown (and millions of people have diabetes and live normal, healthy lives) that it works! Diet and exercise are truly the key to avoiding the many complications that can arise from diabetes.

Does science help, too?

Of course!

Insulin, as we all know, helped the entire planet breathe a sigh of relief, back in a darker day when diabetes was a killer.

But when you compliment the science and the medicine with a healthy life style, and a bit of good old common sense, you should have no reason to fear diabetes, and your odds of living a long and healthy life, despite your disease, will continue to rise!

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