Complications of Diabetes

Eye Complications● Eye complications develop because of high blood pressure which can lead to damage in the retina. One main

complication is diabetic retinopathy. The main two types of diabetic retinopathy are nonproliferative and proliferative retinopathy. Nonproliferative causes the capillaries in the back of the eye to balloon causing pouches to form. There is 3 stages mild, moderate, and severe. Iit can cause vision loss when the macula gets fluid in it and the vision blurs, but the vision lost can be fixed with treatment. Proliferative is more serious than nonproliferative. Blood vessels become damaged and start to break off. New blood vessels grow in and the retina starts to become weak, leak blood, blocking vision, and this is called vitreous. The new vessels start to make scar tissue, the the scar tissue shrinks, causing the retina to move out of place, and this is called retinal detachment. which diabetic retinopathy a person gets depends on high there blood sugar levels get. Diabetes can also cause glucoma.

Foot complications● Diabetes affects circulatory system, nervous system, and the muscular system.● The Foot circulatory system can be affected because of poor circulation to the feet. The poor circulation can

lead to amputation of the foot.● Common foot complications are dry peeling feet, calluses, or loss of feeling in the feet

Skin complications● Stye infections can form in the eye glands● Rashes and itching can occur ● Shiny round blood vessels can develop in the skin called diabetic dermopathy● An allergic reaction can occur from the medicine

Hypertension● Hypertension can cause heart attacks because it prevents the blood flowing freely which makes the heart work

harder to pump blood through the body● Hypertension can cause strokes because it can stop blood from going to the brain.● It can cause dementia which affects the brain. It affects memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior● can cause vision loss and cause damage to blood vessels● can cause kidney failure and kidney disease

Ear Complications● High glucose levels can cause damage to small blood vessels and nerves in the inner ear. The glucose levels

can also cause atherosclerosis which is hardening of the arteries. Diabetes can also can cause tinnitus which is hearing things that aren’t really there. The noise is usually buzzing, ringing, or clicking. It can cause hearing loss and damage to the auditory system.

● some complications are hearing loss, ringing or buzzing in the ear, dizziness, decrease in social activity, sadness or depression, and irritability

Oral Health Complications● Diabetes can cause oral problems due to the high glucose levels in the saliva.● Amount of saliva flow can decrease causing dry mouth which can lead to soreness, vlcers, infections, and tooth

decay● can cause gum inflammation which leads to gingivitis and periodontitis● Diabetes can affect the white blood cells which leads to a lack of nutrients to the mouth ● The lack of white blood cells makes it harder for the body to fight of diseases which can lead to infections in the

mouth● Thrush a fungal infection in the month or on the tongue thrives in people with uncontrolled diabetes● Smoking increases the risk of contracting the diseases

Gastroparesis ● Gastroparesis is a disease wee the stomach or the nerves controlling the muscle stop working● It can be caused from diabetes because the the high blood sugars can damage the vagus nerve(nerves that

connect to the esophagus and gastrointestinal tact) over time● Gastroparesis can cause heartburn, nusea, vomiting of undigested food, feeling full quickly when eating,

abdominal bloating, lack of appetite, gastroesophageal reflux(stomach contents leak back up to the esophagus which leads to heart problems),spasm in stomach walls(unnecessary movements in the stomach),weight loss, and erratic glucose(irregular glucose levels caused by the way the food is digested).

● More common in type 1 than type 2 diabetes

Ketoacidosis(DKA)● Ketoacidosis is caused by high blood pressure. The body will start to break down the body’s tissue for energy

because the body can’t get its energy from glucose due to the lack of insulin. Ketoacidosis can cause a decrease reflexes, blurry vision, labored respiration, and ketones in urine and blood.

Neuropathy● Can cause cranial which affects the nerves that control the eye muscles which causes pain in the eye and

double vision● Femoral(mostly in type 2 diabetic) starts with pain, the muscles become weak, and the muscle starts to waste

away ● Focal neuropathy causes sudden weakness or pain● Thoracic/Lumbar radiculopathy occurs in the torso and mostly happens to people with type 2 diabetes● In unilateral foot drop the foot can not be picked up due to peroneal nerve damage in the leg● In charcot's joint is when a joint breaks down due to nerve damage● Autonomic neuropathy affects the autonomic nerves that control the bladder and testinal tract and the bladder

cannot respond to the pressure which causes urinary tract infection● Neurpathy is more common in people who had diabetes for a long time and have high blood glucose levels

Kidney complications● Diabetes can cause kidney disease because it makes the kidney filter to much blood which makes the kidney’s

work harder eventually the kidney’s will start to leak useful protein. The protein will come out in the urine and this is called microalbuminuria. When the protein amount in the urine starts to get large the stage is called macroalbuminuria. The kidney’s will eventually fail without treatment and when they fail waste enters the bloodstream(ESRD). when the kidney’s fail either a kidney transplant is needed or the kidney have to be filtered(dialysis).

Peripheral Artery Disease(PAD)● Plaque starts to build up in the arteries, the plaque will start to harden in the arteries, the harden plaque narrows

the arteries and this is called atherosclerosis● since the arteries become narrow it is harder for blood to flow and it affects the legs usually, but it can also affect

arteries that carry blood to head, arms, kidneys, and stomach.)● The blocked arteries can cause pain and numbness. When it becomes severe it can cause tissue to die and in

extreme cases it can lead to amputation● PAD is common in diabetics but there isn’t a real reason for it. The risk of developing it increases as diabetes

get older and the length of time someone has diabetes

Stroke● Strokes are caused by blood clots that block the blood flow to the brain or neck.● The brain tissue can be damaged because the blood clot stop blood from getting blood and the blood has

oxygen and sugars which the brain needs. The lack of blood could destroy nerves as well. This cause the brain to swell which makes the brain injury worse because the skull cannot take all of the pressure the extra fluid in the brain causes.

● The stroke can lead to movement problems, pain, and numbness, because of the damage to the brain after a stroke

● damage to the right side to the brain can affect the process of learning, verbal communication, some types of behaviors, memory problems, and short attention spans.

● damage to the left side can affect language/speaking, and people with this can have trouble talking and understanding what people say

Stress● Stress hormones alter the blood glucose levels and stress could make it hard for diabetics to regulate their

glucose levels which is dangerous.● distress can lead to an elevation in glucose levels which can cause problems sleeping, chest pain, headache,

and upset stomach● An injury can lead to physical stress and that can make blood pressure higher● The brain can cause mental stress which makes the hormone level shoot up● When someone becomes stressed the heart starts to pump faster causing someone's blood pressure to go up ● To lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure levels a person should try to reduce their stress levels