Diabetes Complications and How to Prevent Them

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin, a hormone, helps the body break down sugars and starches that give the body energy. It is unknown what the causes are, but people who are obese and don’t exercise are prone to have diabetes.

Diabetes complications like heart and blood vessel disease, blindness, kidney failure and foot ulcers can arise.
Heart and blood vessel disease is the most serious of diabetes complications because it is the leading cause of death for people with diabetes.  Three out of four diabetic patient deaths are due to that heart and blood vessel disease.  Diabetes sufferers are advised to see an eye doctor yearly since having high blood sugar levels can lead to the damage of blood vessels that feed the retina. These damages can eventually cause diabetes complications like blindness.

Another of the diabetes complications—kidney failure—is caused by high blood sugar levels. The kidneys clean the blood of waste products and when they don’t function correctly the waste products accumulate in the blood.  The last of the diabetes complications is foot ulcers. These can lead to a foot amputation if the wound cannot be healed.
8 Ways to Prevent Diabetes Complications: