If left untreated, diabetes can have devastating consequences, including heart disease, nerve damage, blindness, kidney failure, and amputations. The risk of death for adults with diabetes is 50 percent higher than for those without the condition. Without proper treatment, diabetes can lead to long-term complications or even death.Chronic diabetes diseases include type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Potentially reversible diabetic diseases include prediabetes and gestational diabetes.
Prediabetes is a condition in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. If left untreated, prediabetes can develop into type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy and usually disappears after the baby is born.The symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis include feeling thirsty, frequent urination, vomiting, difficulty breathing, weakness, confusion, and breath that smells like fruit. To reduce the risk of developing long-term complications from diabetes, it is important to maintain a healthy weight, eat a balanced diet, and get regular physical activity.Two out of three diabetics have high blood pressure, increasing their risk of heart disease and stroke.
People with diabetes are ten times more likely to have their toes or feet amputated than those without the condition. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body cannot use it effectively. Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate blood glucose levels.Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults aged 20 to 74, according to the National Eye Institute. To delay the onset of diabetes complications, it is important to keep blood sugar levels under control, eat well, exercise regularly, lose weight if necessary, avoid smoking, and get treatment for high blood pressure and high cholesterol.People with diabetes are more likely to have clinical obesity, high cholesterol or high blood pressure than those without the condition.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body cannot use it effectively. In some cases, insulin injections may be necessary for people with more severe forms of diabetes who do not respond adequately to the levels of insulin their body produces.If you are diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes (a precursor to type 2 diabetes), your healthcare provider may order additional tests to confirm the diagnosis. Despite treatments for diabetes, ketoacidosis can still occur and can be fatal if not treated immediately with insulin injections.
