Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and narrowing of blood vessels (atherosclerosis).
Diabetes
is a serious illness that can affect the eyes, heart, nerves, feet and kidneys. It's important to understand how diabetes affects the body. It can help you follow your treatment plan and stay as healthy as possible.Controlling blood sugar is the best way to protect your eyes, heart, nerves, feet and kidneys. It reduces the risk of all health problems caused by diabetes. This is true for all people with diabetes with or without kidney damage. Ask your healthcare provider what you should do to control your blood sugar.
What else can I do to protect my eyes, heart, nerves, feet and kidneys from diabetes? If you have type 1 diabetes, your body has attacked your pancreas and destroyed the cells that produce insulin. Hypoglycemia is common in people with type 1 diabetes and can occur in some people with type 2 diabetes who take insulin (insulin helps glucose leave the blood and reach the body's cells) or medications such as sulfonylureas. If you have type 1 diabetes, your immune system attacks itself and can also cause a hair loss condition called alopecia areata. If you have diabetes, it's important to include a wide variety of nutritious and healthy foods in your diet and avoid eating sugary foods as snacks.
While complications can be very varied and affect many organ systems, there are many basic principles of prevention that are shared in common. The feet of a person with diabetes are at risk of damage when the blood supply to large and small blood vessels is reduced. Prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes are more common in people who are overweight or obese. If you have a family history of prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, or gestational diabetes, you're at greater risk of developing prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, or gestational diabetes.
However, if you or your child or teenager have symptoms of diabetes, see your healthcare provider. While having diabetes may not necessarily increase your risk of contracting COVID-19, if you contract the virus, you're more likely to have more serious complications. Scientists believe that genetics may play a role or contribute to the development of type 1 diabetes. Oral diabetes medications, such as metformin (Glumetza, Fortamet, and others), may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The sooner diabetes is detected, the sooner treatment can be started and complications can be reduced or prevented. It occurs in patients with type 2 diabetes, especially in older people, and usually occurs when patients are sick or stressed. Many oral diabetes medications can be used in combination or with insulin to achieve better blood glucose control. Scientists don't have firm answers yet, but there seems to be a correlation between hearing loss and diabetes.
