Complications

By Paul Schickling, RPh, CDE, and John Walsh, PA, CDE

Long term complications of diabetes may include changes in connective tissue that occur as a result of high glucose levels. Adhesive capsulitis, often referred to as frozen shoulder refers to a pathological condition of the shoulder joint which causes a gradual loss of motion usually in just one shoulder.

From STOP the Rollerocaster
Copyright © 1996 by Diabetes Services, Inc.

Kidney Disease Prevention

From STOP the Rollercoaster
Copyright © 1996 by Diabetes Services, Inc.

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.

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 consult 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.

Diabetic neuropathy almost always starts in the feet because these are the longest nerves in the body. They are also fed by the longest blood vessels in the body. The peripheral neuropathy that is characteristic of diabetes is found only in the presence of high blood sugar levels.

Kidney Disease Stages and Reversal

From STOP the Rollercoaster
Copyright © 1996 by Diabetes Services, Inc.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among people with Type 2 diabetes. The risk of death from CVD is twice as high for men and six times higher for women with diabetes than for people without diabetes. Most people with Type 2 diabetes suffer from the Insulin Resistance Syndrome (IRS), which can include insulin resistance, high blood sugar, abdominal obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol problems.

Necrobiosis Lipoidica

Although Necrobiosis Lipoidica affects only one of every 300 people with diabetes, this disease of the legs can be very disfiguring. Women are three times as likely as men to encounter this problem. On the right, the large lesion in the lower shin in one of John's patients shows advanced changes. The thin, translucent-appearing skin reveals blood vessels and other subcutaneous tissues that are not normally visible. An early NL lesion can be seen near the bottom and another intermediate lesion is at the top.