Uncontrolled
blood sugar levels is the calling card of Type II diabetes that eventually
leads to circulatory issues that are life changing. Foot ulcers, peripheral
nerve damage and the accompanying pain, and blindness can result when blood
vessels are weakened by the inflammatory action of unregulated blood sugar.
Nightmarish as those conditions may be the complications of diabetes can worsen
overtime leading to renal failure, heart attacks and stroke.
Diabetic Nephropathy
Silently and
slowly high blood glucose levels damages the kidneys of diabetics and
pre-diabetics which takes its toll. The kidneys help filter the blood and flush the
body of unwanted toxins. Overtime high sugar levels cause the thickening and
scarring of nephrons. The process eventually leads to renal (kidney) failure.
To make matters worse it can take anywhere from 5 – 10 years before the symptoms
of acute kidney damage are experienced. Some of the symptoms include nausea
with vomiting, swelling of the legs, headaches, chronic fatigue, and poor
appetite. Kidney damage is a leading cause of death in diabetics. As it is
kidney function can be a direct correlation to the quality of a person’s life.
Strokes
High blood
glucose levels create all sorts of negative domino effects in the body. One
part of the domino effect is the scarring and deterioration of blood vessels
that occur. The body attempts to repair these blood vessels that are constantly
under attack. In doing so the material used to make the repairs “builds up” in
the blood vessels creating blockages. Sometimes these blockages occur in
arteries and blood vessels that supply blood to brain. When the blockages are
severe enough a stroke soon follows. The result of the stroke could lead to
paralysis, speech loss, inability to coordinate movement or even death. Smaller
strokes could lead to dementia or senility.
Heart Attacks
Diabetes and
cardiovascular diseases seem to go hand in hand. Primarily because of the
circulatory issues created by having diabetes in the first place. From there it
becomes much easier for cardiovascular disease to gain a foothold especially if
poor lifestyle habits and predisposition to these diseases exist. Diabetics experience
heart attacks more frequently than non-diabetics. Diabetics are also twice as
likely to die following a heart attack as non-diabetics.
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