Complications of Diabetes
After the initial shock of discovering that you have diabetes, you may settle into a less careful routine of watching your diet, exercising, taking prescribed medications, and seeing your doctor for regular checkups. Although you may feel fine, do not be fooled.
Whenever your blood glucose levels go above normal, many organs in your body are affected. Each episode of hyperglycemia may cause minor damage, which over time can lead to major long-term complications, including macrovascular disease (abnormalities of large arteries supplying blood to the heart, brain, and legs), microvascular disease (abnormalities of small blood vessels in the kidneys and eyes), neuropathy (nerve damage), and changes in the skin, gums, teeth, and feet.
These complications of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes typically appear only after someone has had diabetes for years or even decades. Fortunately, their development is not inevitable. Strong evidence suggests that good control of blood glucose and other risk factors, such as high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol, can prevent or delay the onset of long-term complications and may reduce the severity of complications that do occur. However, improved glucose control may not reverse complications once they appear.
