Long Term Effects of Diabetes affects body and quality of life. If not controlled, it can lead to complications such as heart and brain diseases.
Uncontrolled blood glucose levels, overtime, could have the following potential complications:
1. Heart and coronary blood vessel disease. Increased risk of cardiovascular problems, including:
i. Coronary artery disease with chest pain (angina)
ii. High blood pressure
iii. Heart attack
iv. Narrowing of the arteries
v. Heart failure
2. Brain and cerebral blood vessel disease. Increased risk of strokes due to narrowing, blocking or hardening of the blood vessels that go to brain.
3. Nerve damage injury to wall of the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that nourish your nerves in every organ system.
Peripheral neuropathy: Pain or loss of felling in toes, feet, legs, hands and arms.
Autonomic neuropathy: Changes in digestion, bowel and bladder function, sexual response, sweating, BP, function of lungs and eyes.
Proximal neuropathy: Pain in thighs, hips or butts and weakness in legs.
Focal neuropathy: Affects any nerve in the body, results in sudden muscle weakness.
Kidney damage: Damage to the delicate filtering system of the kidneys that contain tiny blood vessel clusters, leading to kidney failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, requiring dialysis or transplant.
Eye damage: Damage to the blood vessels of the retina, potentially leading to blindness. Increases the risk of cataracts and glaucoma.
Foot damage: Nerve damage and poor blood flow to the feet, increasing the risk of infection, delayed healing of cuts.
Skin: Increased risk of bacterial and fungal infections.
Oral complications: Gum infection, ulcer and dry mouth.
Complication in sexual function:
Males:
Erectile dysfunction
Retrograde ejaculation
Females:
Decreased vaginal lubrication causing vaginal dryness
Uncomfortable or painful sexual intercourse.
Decreased or absent sexual desire and response.
Osteoporosis. Increased risk due to lower than normal bone mineral density.
Increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
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