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Complications Of Diabetes Article
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When Complications of Diabetes Becomes Acute
When you are diagnosed with diabetes, you will always have the possibility of complications hanging over your head. The question is, what are the acute complications. What should you look for? Which part of your body will be most affected? We will try to clarify what the most severe complications are, and what you should watch for.
Complications usually are blood vessel diseases. These complications could involve either the small blood vessels or the larger ones. The small ones involve the eyes, nerves, and kidneys. The larger vessels would involve coronary heart disease, strokes, and severe pain in the lower legs.
Kidney damage is a common complication from diabetes. The disease will vary with each individual, as well as how fast it progresses. Diabetic nephropathy is damage to the small blood vessels in the kidneys. This causes protein to leak into the urine. Eventually the kidneys lose their ability to clean and filter the blood. Dialysis may be needed to filter the toxins from the bloods. It serves the same role as the kidney and once you start on dialysis you will need to remain on it. The only alternative would be to have a kidney transplant.
Nerve damage for diabetics is something I am familiar with. Both my father and stepmother suffer from diabetes caused nerve damage. Unfortunately, it has affected their feet. Mom has a continuous burning and pain in both her feet. She has a hard time walking and is increasingly in more pain as the disease advances. She is unable to walk for any length of time, and needs to wear the most comfortable sandals she can find, and wear them with a thin pair of socks. She is in constant pain. Dad lost all sensation in his feet and was unable to feel any pain when his toe scraped against a small carpet tack. This resulted in the loss of several toes and a portion of his foot. Diabetics need to take special care of their feet and legs. Even a small injury can lead to a serious infection, festering ulcers, gangrene, and amputation of all affected parts.
In men, nerve damage may also result in impotence. Diabetic neuropathy can affect the nerves that lead to the penis that allow for penile erection. If the penis is not receiving the blood flow it needs because of nerve damage, it can cause erectile dysfunction or impotence.
Another common severe complication of diabetes is complications with the eye. Called diabetic retinopathy, it normally occurs in patients who have had diabetes for more than five years. Blood vessel damage in the back of the eye causes a leakage of protein and blood in the retina. It will also cause small aneurysms, and new blood vessels may develop but will be brittle. Bleeding from the new blood vessels can lead to scarring and a detachment of the retina causing damaged eyesight.
Describing these complications should be enough to compel you to avoid complications if possible. Take care of your body, eat healthy, exercise, and get the rest you need.
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