People with diabetes are at high risk for a number of complications if it isn't properly controlled. Preventing complications at an early stage is an important reason to match insulin delivery to need. All of the complications associated with diabetes - neuropathy, nephropathy, retinopathy, and some heart problems - develop in the pressence of high blood sugars. Most complications do not have apparent symptoms until they have become quite severe, and then careful control can only delay further damage at best. Reversal of damage may be possible if a problem is caught early, but prevention pays healthier rewards.
Controlling risk factors other than high blood sugars is also important. Reducing fat and protein intake to the amount needed nutritionally, lowering elevated blood pressure, exercising, improving the diet in general, avoiding smoking, and controlling cholesterol levels have all shown benefits in reducing complications.
Organs that can be plagued by complications include:
Eyes
Changes At Diagnosis | Background Retinopathy | Preproliferative Retinopathy | Proliferative Retinopathy | Macular Edema | Cataracts | Why Damage Occurs
Feet
Learn about various foot problems and what to do about them.
Skin
Necrobiosis, Dermopathy, Fungi and more
Heart
Excellent links to Congestive Heart Failure and Ace Inhibitors information.
Kidney Disease Prevention
How blood sugar control can help to prevent kidney disease.
Kidney Disease, stages and reversal
How to tell what stage of kidney disease you may have and information on reversing the damage.
Diabetic Neuropathy
Neuropathy represents the most common complication of diabetes.
Also see:
Why are only certain organs damaged
Celiac Disease
Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects nearly one in every hundred people in the United States. Many people, 97%, remain undiagnosed and untreated. These people may cosult doctors who prescribe drugs, diets or therapies for some of the symptoms that may work for awhile. In the US today, the average length of time a person has Celiac Disease before it is diagnosed is nine years. Most people are diagnosed in their 40's through 60's.
Duputryen's Contractor
Dupuytren's Contracture (DC) is an abnormality of collagen under the skin of the hand from the palm to the fingers. This collagen forms nodules that are rich with myofibroblasts that promote new cell growth. and then shortens, pulling fingers toward the palm so that the fingers can not straighten and the hand cannot open or flatten. The ring finger is the most commonly affected finger in DC, followed by the little finger, although all the fingers can be bent.
Clinical Trials
Find the latest treatment for an existing complication in these Clinical Trials.