Eventually, you may someday develop complications from diabetes. No matter how hard you work at keeping your goals and controlling blood glucose levels, you may still develop complications. There are treatments for diabetes complications, and they are getting better

all the time. So be sure you are getting up-to-date info on treatments and prevention.

Cardiovascular disease | Retinopathy | Nephropathy | Neuropathy | Infections

Blood flow through the blood vessels in your body deliver all the oxygen, glucose, nutrients, and other substances needed to run your body and keep your cells alive. When blood can't get to cells and tissues, they can become damaged or die. Too many lipids in the blood, such as cholesterol and triglycerides, can cling to the walls of the blood vessels. But if you achieve good glucose control, these so-called lipoproteins will return to normal and do their job of delivering blood lipids to cells. They can accumulate if you eat too much fat and cholesterol. That's why it is important to eat a balanced diet if you have diabetes. Keeping your glucose levels under control and limiting fat intake, you can prevent the clogging of blood vessels. High levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides can be lowered by: losing weight, keeping blood glucose under control, eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet, and increasing physical activity.

Another complication of diabetes is retinopathy, a disease of the retina, the light sensing region of the inner eye. Retinopathy is caused by damage to the blood vessels that supply blood to the retina. It is more common in people with type 1 diabetes. Glaucoma, a high pressure within the eye, occurs more often in people with diabetes. People with diabetes are 4 times more likely to become blind than people without diabetes. Two ways to prevent retinopathy is getting a yearly exam from an eye doctor and keeping your blood glucose levels as normal as possible as you can.

Nephropathy is a form of kidney disease. Toxins from the blood enter the kidneys by crossing the walls of small blood vessels along it's border. With nephropathy, these tiny blood vessels are unable to filter out the impurities in your blood. They get blocked and waste products stay in the blood, and proteins and nutrients are removed when it should be the opposite. Not everyone with diabetes develop nephropathy. Kidney damage is more common in type 1 diabetes than in type 2. Keeping blood glucose levels as normal as possible is the best way to prevent kidney damage. Keeping your blood pressure under control is a key to preventing complications. Ways to avoid high blood pressure are keepin a healthy body weight and to eat less salt. In severe cases with nephropathy, kidney dialysis and transplant are the only options.

Neuropathy affects the body's nervous system and nerves can get damaged. They may be unable to complete simple functions, send messages too slow or at the wrong time. Effects of this can be pain in the hands and feet, or thighs and face. Or perhaps, trouble with digestion or bladder or bowel control. Many people with diabetes experience a loss of sensation or feeling or find that their muscles are weak. Often symptoms come and go. Good blood glucose can help you avoid or improve these symptoms. Keeping blood vessels healthy will protect the nerves they supply. Keeping alcohol intake to a minimum, exercising regularly, eating healthy meals, and quitting smoking helps keep the nervous system in good working condition.

As you know having too much glucose in your blood can foul up many of the functions of blood, including the immune system. Having high glucose levels can put you at greater risk to develop infections. Too much glucose makes the immune system ineffective. The body cannot fight infection effectively when the immune system is under attack when there is too much glucose in the blood. People with diabetes tend to have infections everywhere: in their mouths and gums, lungs, skin, feet, and genital areas and in the incision after major surgery. It doesn't matter where the infection is, it can be treated with better blood glucose control and antibiotics. Since most of the body can be effected by infection, clean properly, brush and floss, keep blood sugar down, and keep blood flowing to your extremedies (hands and feet). Without proper care and diagnosis, amputation is possible when an infection takes over a part of the body.

As with everything in this site, this information are primarily overviews and summaries of the disease and treatment and help. Any further questions should be directed to a health care professional or by calling 1-800-DIABETES.