Diabetes - The Complications And How To Avoid Them

Diabetes is so easy to ignore because it literally sneaks up on you and before you know it you start getting some serious complications. Diabetes affects nearly every vital organ in your body. Of the 18 million type 2 diabetics in the US, three out of five (58%) have one or more complications.

Here are the most serious:

• MALE IMPOTENCE It is almost a certainty. This is why Viagra, Cialis are so popular.

• KIDNEY DAMAGE Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease because the kidneys are working overtime. The most common is chronic kidney disease which affects as many as 5 million diabetics. About half the cases of end-stage renal disease (i.e. cases requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant) are caused by diabetes.

• NEURPOATHY Nerve damage especially in the extremities of hands and feet. You don't want them to go numb. Foot problems affect 4 million diabetics. They may be due to neuropathy (nerve damage) or blood vessel damage, resulting in infection or even tissue death necessitating amputation.

•HEART DISEASE and STROKE Heart disease is the leading cause of death in diabetics. Other conditions related to the damage that occurs to the smaller blood vessels include heart attack (myocardial infarction), angina (chest pain), congestive heart failure, and stroke.

•HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE High blood pressure is the result of several factors like weight, eating habits, inactivity all coming into play.

•EYE PROBLEMS-Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults ages 25-75(glaucoma, cataract, and retinopathy) It affects 3.4 million type 2 diabetics. Inattention to this can result in blindness. I get a diabetic eye exam annually so should you.

•INFECTIONS High blood sugars make it more difficult to recover from infections. Wounds take forever to heal.

Does that sound serious enough to get your attention?

The good news is you can avoid type 2 diabetes completely - or at least control it adequately. This is quite possible in many cases using diet, exercise, other lifestyle improvements, and medication, if necessary. Get control early, if you have it, and enjoy your life.

Reference: DIABETES,Jack Krohn