When you hear the word “diabetes,” your first thought is likely about high blood sugar.
Blood sugar is an often-underestimated component of your health. When it’s out of balance over a long period of time, it could develop into diabetes.
Diabetes
Here are what symptoms may occur to your body when diabetes develops.
Diabetes can be effectively managed when diagnosed early. However, when left untreated, it can lead to potential complications that include:
Normally after you eat or drink, your body will break down sugars from your food and use them for energy in your cells.
To accomplish this, your pancreas needs to produce a hormone called insulin. Insulin is what facilitates the process of pulling sugar from the blood and putting it in the cells for use, or energy.
If you have diabetes, your pancreas either produces too little insulin or none at all. The insulin can’t be used effectively.
This allows blood glucose levels to rise while the rest of your cells are deprived of much-needed energy. This can lead to a wide variety of problems affecting nearly every major body system.
The effects of diabetes on your body also depends on the type you have. There are
Type 1, also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is an immune system disorder. Your own immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, destroying your body’s ability to make insulin. With type 1 diabetes, you must take insulin to live. Most people receive their type 1 diagnosis as a child or young adult.
Type 2is related toinsulin resistance. It used to occur in older populations, but now more younger populations are developing type 2 diabetes. This is a result of certain lifestyle, dietary, and exercise habits.
With type 2 diabetes, your pancreas stops using insulin effectively. This causes issues with being able to pull sugar from the blood and put it into the cells for energy. Eventually, this can lead to the need for insulin medication.
You can effectivelymanageearlier phases likeprediabeteswith a balanced diet, exercise, and careful monitoring of blood sugars. This can also prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes can be controlled. In some cases, it can even go into remission if needed lifestyle changes are made.
Gestational diabetesis high blood sugar that develops during pregnancy. Most of the time, you can manage gestational diabetes through diet and exercise. It also typically resolves after the baby is delivered.
Gestational diabetes can increase your risk of complications during pregnancy. It can also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes development later in life for both the birthing parent and child.
If your pancreas produces little or no insulin — or if your body can’t use it — other hormones are used to turn fat into energy. This can create high levels of toxic chemicals, including acids and ketone bodies, which may lead to a condition calleddiabetic ketoacidosis.
Diabetic ketoacidosis is aseriouscomplication of the disease. Symptoms include:
- extreme thirst
- excessive urination
- fatigue
Your breath may have a sweet scent that’s caused by the elevated levels of ketones in the blood. High blood sugar levels and excess ketones in your urine can confirm diabetic ketoacidosis. If untreated, this condition can lead to loss of consciousness or even death.
Diabetic hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome (HHS)occurs in type 2 diabetes. Itinvolvesvery high blood glucose levels but no ketones.
You might become dehydrated with this condition. You may even lose consciousness. HHS is most common in people whose diabetes is undiagnosed, or who haven’t been able to manage their diabetes well. It can also be caused by a heart attack, stroke, or infection.
High blood glucose levels may causegastroparesis. This is when it’s hard for your stomach to completely empty. This delay cancauseblood glucose levels to rise. As a result, you may also experience:
糖尿病也会损害肾脏和ffect their ability to filter waste products from your blood. If your doctor detectsmicroalbuminuria, or elevated amounts of protein in your urine, itcould bea sign that your kidneys aren’t functioning properly.
Kidney disease related to diabetes is calleddiabetic nephropathy. This condition doesn’t show symptoms until its later stages.
If you have diabetes, your doctor will evaluate you for nephropathy to help prevent irreversible kidney damage orkidney failure.
Diabetes raises your risk of developinghigh blood pressure, which puts further strain on your heart.
When you have high blood glucose levels, this can contribute to the formation of fatty deposits in blood vessel walls. Over time, it can restrict blood flow and increase the risk ofatherosclerosis, or hardening of the blood vessels.
According to the
If you smoke, consider quitting if you’re at risk of diabetes. Smoking increases your risk of cardiovascular problems and restricted blood flow. Your doctor can help you create a quit plan.
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Lack of blood flow can eventually affect your hands and feet, andcausepain while you’re walking. This is calledintermittent claudication.
The narrowed blood vessels in your legs and feet may also cause problems in those areas. For example, your feet may feel cold, or you may be unable to feel heat due to a lack of sensation.
This condition is known asperipheral neuropathy, which is a type of diabetic neuropathy thatcausesdecreased sensation in the extremities. It’s particularly dangerous because it may prevent you from noticing an injury or infection.
Diabetes also increases your risk of developing infections or ulcers of thefoot. Poor blood flow and nerve damage increases the likelihood of having a foot or leg amputated.
If you have diabetes, it’s critical that you take good care of your feet and inspect them often.
Diabetes can also affect your skin人体最大的器官。随着dehydration, your body’s lack of moisture due to high blood sugar can cause the skin on your feet to dry and crack.
It’s important to completely dry your feet after bathing or swimming. You can use petroleum jelly or gentle creams, but avoid letting these areas become too moist.
Moist, warm folds in the skin aresusceptibleto fungal, bacterial, or yeast infections. Thesetend todevelop in the following areas:
- between fingers and toes
- the groin
- armpits
- corners of the mouth
Symptoms include redness, blistering, and itchiness.
High-pressure spots under your foot can lead to calluses. These can become infected or develop ulcers. If you do get an ulcer, see a doctor immediately to lower the risk of losing your foot.
You may also be more prone to:
- boils
- folliculitis(infection of the hair follicles)
- styes
- infected nails
Unmanaged diabetes can also lead to three skin conditions:
- Eruptive xanthomatosiscauses hard yellow bumps with a red ring.
- Digital sclerosiscauses thick skin, most often on the hands or feet.
- Diabetic dermopathycan cause brown patches on the skin. There’s no cause for concern and no treatment is necessary.
These skin conditions usually clear up when blood sugar gets under control.
Diabetes causes diabetic neuropathy, or damage to the nerves. This can affect your perception of heat, cold, and pain. It can also make you more susceptible to injury.
The chances that you won’t notice these injuries and let them develop into serious infections or conditions increases, too.
Diabetes can alsoleadto swollen, leaky blood vessels in the eye, calleddiabetic retinopathy. This can damage your vision. It may even lead to blindness. Symptoms of eye trouble can be mild at first, so it’s important to see your eye doctor regularly.
The changing hormones during pregnancy can cause gestational diabetes and, in turn, increases your risk of high blood pressure. There are two types of high blood pressure conditions to watch out for during pregnancy:preeclampsiaandeclampsia.
In most cases, gestational diabetes is easily managed, and glucose levels return to normal after the baby is born. Symptoms are similar to other types of diabetes but may also include repeated infections affecting the vagina and bladder.
If you develop gestational diabetes, your baby may have a higher birth weight. This can make delivery more complicated. You’re also at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes several years following your baby’s delivery.
To learn more about diabetes, visit ourtopic center.
It can also be helpful to connect with other people who understand what you’re going through. Our free app, T2D Healthline, connects you with real people living with type 2 diabetes. Ask questions, give advice, and build relationships with people who get it. Download the app foriPhone or Android.
