Long-Term Dangers of Diabetes
Diabetes has hidden dangers that begin before diagnosis and continue to worsen if certain steps are not taken to prevent the complications that are the true “killers” in terms of diabetes.
Statistics show that there are over 20 million diabetics in America, both Type 1 and Type 2.
It is amazing how many people have no idea what dangers a diabetic faces over their lifetime.
What Are Diabetic Complications?
Diabetic complications are chronic medical conditions that begin to affect the body of the diabetic.
These complications are brought about mostly by a condition which is simply, “excess sugar” saturating the inside of the cells of the body.
This condition also includes coronary artery disease, vascular disease, blindness, kidney disease, retinopathy (blindness), and loss of feeling in the hands and the feet (peripheral neuropathy) among others.
Diabetes in the early stages does not produce symptoms. Unless found during a routine medical exam, a diabetic can remain undiagnosed for years.
Are Diabetic Complications A Certainty?
There is a much higher potential of a diabetic becoming diagnosed with one or more diabetic complications over time.
This is partly due to how well the individual monitors and controls his/her blood sugar.
Rapid increases and decreases in blood sugar can be hard on the body and the excess sugar present in the cells can create havoc on the different nerves within the body as well as the capillaries, veins, and arteries.
The Different Types Of Diabetes
There are two types of diabetes – Type One and Type Two.
Type One attacks children and young adults and is characterized by the pancreas failing to produce insulin which is a hormone that breaks down sugars and starches while converting them into energy.
Type Two occurs usually later in an adult’s life and is characterized by the pancreas being unable to produce enough insulin due to several factors, obesity being one of them.
It is estimated that around 10 percent of diabetics are Type One while the other 90 percent are Type Two.
The major difference between the two is that Type One diabetics are completely dependent on insulin and take daily injections while Type Two have both those who require insulin shots while others can rely on oral medication and/or changes in diet and exercise.
The Risk Factors Surrounding Diabetes
Several risk factors can push a pre-diabetic into full-blown diabetes.
1) being overweight.
2) family history of diabetes,
3) lack of adequate exercise.
4) history of gestational diabetes (occurs during pregnancy and usually disappears after delivery).
5) certain ethnic groups
What Tests Help Diagnose Diabetes Cases?
There are two, main tests used for determining whether or not a person has a glucose intolerance:
1) Fasting Plasma Glucose Test
2) Oral Glucose Tolerance Test
Both of these tests can determine glucose intolerance which is where blood sugar is higher than what is considered normal. This is not always an indication of diabetes, however.
Can The Onset Of Diabetes Be Prevented?
People with the above risk factors can go a long way toward preventing the development of full-blown diabetes by making significant lifestyle changes.
What are lifestyle changes?
Changing unhealthy diets to more blood sugar-friendly ones, doing enough exercise to help offset increased blood sugar levels, and keeping the body healthy and losing weight especially if considered obese.
If you are pre-diabetic you need to stay on a strict diabetic diet.
Ask your healthcare professional for a diet that meets that criteria and limit cakes, candy, cookies, and other things made of simple sugars.
Eat small, nutritious meals and eat 5 times a day instead of only three.
If you are already diagnosed with full-blown diabetes, you should follow the same diet while under the meticulous care of your healthcare professional.
Keep your cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar within proper limits, and have your eyes checked every year.
Diabetes can contribute to blindness, kidney disease, and heart disease.
What Can The Diabetic Look Forward To?
Diabetic complications can be prevented or lessened for a longer period by paying serious attention to lifestyle.
A diabetic who eats right keeps his/her blood sugar under control and within accepted limits, exercises, and gets proper rest can expect to have a quality of life that is much higher in terms of the pain and suffering that diabetic complications bring into the lives of those diabetics who do nothing to change their lifestyle.
What begins to occur in the diabetic who starts to develop complications because of uncontrolled blood sugars over time is a life filled with the possibility of becoming an invalid, either blind, an amputee, or suffering renal failure or a heart attack, stroke, or death.
Research has shown that the diabetic who keeps their blood sugar within acceptable limits and follows a healthy, diabetic lifestyle that is effective against diabetic complications stands a much better chance of not developing many of the complications.
Every diagnosed diabetic has been told by his/her healthcare provider that diabetic complications are the true killers in terms of diabetes.
