Diabetes is caused when the blood glucose (blood sugar) level is too high & it affects proper functioning of the body. The blood sugar levels is maintained by insulin which is hormone produced by pancreas.
Type 1 diabetes is caused when body doesn’t produce any insulin at all, while type 2 diabetes is caused when body doesn’t produce sufficient insulin to control your blood sugar.
Diabetes is a progressive diseases and usually worsens with age. The consequences of uncontrolled diabetes can be visible on the entire body & its organs – heart, foot, skin, kidneys, eyes, sexual organs, nervous system and many more.
The table below highlights the detrimental effect of diabetes on different parts of the body.
Conditions | Affected areas |
Cardiovascular Disease | Coronary arterial disease |
Angina (Chest Pain) | |
Heart Attack | |
Stroke | |
Atherosclerosis (Narrowing of arteries) | |
Nerve Damage | Capillary (Tiny Blood Vessels) wall injury |
Tingling Numbness | |
Burning sensation with pain at he tips of the toes and fingers | |
Paresthesia (Loss of sensation of touch) | |
Nausea (Damage to the nerves related to Digestion) | |
Vomiting (Damage to the nerves related to Digestion) | |
Diarrhea (Damage to the nerves related to Digestion) | |
Constipation (Damage to the nerves related to Digestion) | |
Nephropathy (Kidney Damage) | Glomeruli Damage (Damage of filtering system) |
Kidney Failure | |
Irreversible end stage kidney disease | |
Dialysis dependency | |
Kidney Transplant | |
Retinopathy (Eye Damage) | Diabetic Retinopathy (Damage of Retinal Blood vessels) |
Potential Blindness | |
Cataracts | |
Glaucoma | |
Diabetic Gangrenes | Reuced Blood flow to the feet |
Simple wounds get infected | |
Poor Healing of injuries | |
Amputation of Toe/Foot/Leg | |
Skin Problems | Bacterial Infections |
Fungal Infections | |
Alzheimers Disease | Increased risk of Type 2 diabetes |
Gestational Diabetes | Macrosomia (Excess Growth of the Baby) |
Hypoglycemia in the new borns | |
Type II Diabetes later in the life | |
Intra Unterine Demise of the Baby or Shortly after birth | |
Preeclampsia | High Blood Pressure |
Excess protein in the urine | |
Swelling in the legs and feet | |
Recurrent Gestational Diabetes | Increased risk of Type 2 diabetes |