Signs of Diabetes

Diabetes can affect every system in your body. Some of the factors that contribute to a diabetic’s health risk are reduced circulation and nerve damage. These are risk factors that increase as your diabetes remains out of control. Keeping your blood sugar levels to a normal level is imperative to avoid serious and potential life threatening complications. Talk to your doctor about what steps you can take to keep your diabetes under control.

Eye problems

According to the American Diabetes Association, people that suffer from diabetes run a greater risk of eye complications. The most common form is retinopathy with 70% of people with diabetes developing some form or retinopathy. There are two types of retinopathy and those are: nonproliferative retinopathy and proliferative retinopathy.

Nonproliferative retinopathy manifests as form pouches or the blood vessels at the back of the eye balloon. This is the most common form of retinopathy. Although nonproliferative retinopathy doesn’t require treatment, if the disease progresses to the point where the blood vessels leak fluid and start to blur your vision it is a condition called macular edema. Macular edema has to be treated or you may lose your vision.

Proliferative retinopathy progresses slowly over time and can cause blindness and may begin as nonproliferative retinopathy. In this stage of the disease, the blood vessels in your eyes become damaged to the point that they close out. Once this happens new blood vessels are formed but they are very weak and may leak blood, and this will block off your vision. This condition is referred to as vitreous hemorrhage. Scar tissue may form and cause the retina to detach itself from the eye, a condition referred to as retinal detachment.

Another common diabetes complication is glaucoma. The American Diabetes Association reports that people with diabetes are 40% more likely to suffer from glaucoma than people without diabetes. Glaucoma causes pressure in your eyes to build and a buildup of the aqueous humor in your eyes is present in its anterior chamber. This pressure obstructs the blood supply to the retina and optic nerve. Damage to the retina and optic nerve can eventually lead to blindness if glaucoma is not treated.

To prevent damage to your eyes, you should get an eye exam annually by a qualified ophthalmologist.

Skin complications

Diabetes affects all of your major systems in your body and your skin is no exception. There are several skin issues that diabetics may face. One of the most common is diabetic dermopathy. This condition can be mistaken for age spots because it appears in the form of light-brown rough patches. These usually manifest on the legs, at the front and do not open up, hurt or itch. This condition is provoked by changes in the small blood vessels in the legs and does not require treatment.

Necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum (NLD) is also evoked by alteration in the blood vessels in your skin. The spots caused by NLD are larger in size and deeper than the ones from diabetic dermopathy. It may start as a raised area, red in color. When it progresses it could look like a scar that has a purple border around. The areas could crack open and become itchy. It is most common in adult women. Treatment is not necessary unless the spots break open.

There are several skin conditions that are caused by your blood sugar being out of control. Some of them include Diabetic Blisters - painless blisters that will heal by themselves once blood sugar returns to normal, Eruptive Xanthomatosis - caused by high fat and cholesterol levels in the blood it appears as small yellow enlargements which appear on the buttocks and legs and is most common in men, Digital Sclerosis - a condition that occurs in approximately one-third of people with type 1 diabetes, parts of skin on the hands and feet become waxy and sometimes the joints become stiff.

High blood pressure

According the American Diabetes Association, two out of three people who have diabetes also have high blood pressure. This puts you at risk for heart attack and stroke. High blood pressure can also damage the kidneys and cause renal failure. Your eyes and the blood vessels in them can be adversely affected by high blood pressure causing vision loss and blindness. The good news is that with proper medication, lifestyle changes a weight loss your blood pressure can be controlled and you can avoid complications.

Kidney disease