Diabetic complications are health problems
caused by diabetes. Diabetes causes your blood sugar level to be
higher than normal. Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage
the blood vessels and nerves in your body. This damage can cause
problems in many areas of the body. The main areas where there may
be problems are the nerves and blood vessels in the legs and feet,
eyes and kidneys. This sheet will tell you about some of the
complications and how to help prevent them.
Nerve damage
Nerve damage (also called diabetic
neuropathy) most often affects the feet and legs, but it can also
affect other parts of the body. Nerve damage makes it hard for
your nerves to send messages to the brain and other parts of the
body. It can mean you lose feeling in parts of your body, or have
painful tingling. If you have nerve damage, you may not be able to
feel a blister or sore on your foot. The sore can become infected,
and, in serious cases, the foot may have to be amputated
(removed).
Warning signs of
nerve damage
Call your doctor if you have:
Loss of feeling (numbness)
Sharp pain or tingling feeling
Weakness
Burning feeling
Failure to get an erection (in
men)
Eye problems
Diabetes can damage and weaken the small
blood vessels in the retina. The retina is the part of the eye
that's sensitive to light and helps you see. This damage is called
diabetic retinopathy.
When the blood vessels are weak, they can
leak fluid, which causes swelling in the eye. The swelling blurs
your vision. If the retinopathy gets worse, your eye makes new
blood vessels over the retina. But these blood vessels are fragile
and break open easily, which causes bleeding into the eye. Scar
tissue can form, which may make the retina break away from the
back of the eye and lead to blindness.
Laser surgery can often be used to treat or
slow retinopathy, especially if it is found early.
Warning signs of
eye problems
Call your doctor if you have:
Blurred vision for more than 2
days
Sudden loss of vision in 1 or both
eyes
Black spots, cobwebs or flashing
lights in your vision
Redness in the eye
Pain or pressure in your eye
Kidney damage
Diabetes can also damage the blood vessels
in the kidney (called diabetic nephropathy). It's less common than
the other complications. High blood pressure is associated with
nephropathy. If you have diabetes and high blood pressure, it is
important to keep them both under control as much as possible.
Some people who have nephropathy need dialysis or kidney
transplants.
Protein in the urine is usually the first
sign of nephropathy. If you show early signs of this, your doctor
can put you on medicine that helps protect the kidney from damage.
What can I do to prevent or
delay these problems?
Because no one can predict for sure who will
have complications, your best bet to prevent problems is to keep
your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible. Follow your
doctor's instructions to control your blood sugar level. Here are
some other tips:
Eat a variety of healthy foods and avoid
foods that are high in fat and sugar.
Exercise regularly.
Quit smoking.
See your doctor regularly, even when you
feel OK. Your doctor will check for early signs of
complications.
Call your doctor right away if you have
any warning signs listed on this sheet.
See your doctor (or an ophthalmologist or
optometrist) once a year for an examination of the retina.
