Diabetes: Preventing complications of diabetes

Thursday, July 21, 2011
What is diabetes?. Your body changes most of the food you eat into a form of sugar called glucose. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that allows glucose to enter every cell of your body to be used as an energy source. readmore Diabetes and Heart Disease

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when a person's body does not produce enough insulin or can not use insulin properly. When you have diabetes, sugar accumulates in the blood instead of moving into the cells. Too much sugar in the blood can cause serious health problems, including heart disease and nerve damage and kidney.

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce any insulin. In type 2 diabetes the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Nearly 95% of people diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

What are the complications of diabetes?
Complications of diabetes are health problems caused by diabetes. Diabetes causes your blood sugar in the blood is higher than normal. Over time, high sugar levels can damage blood vessels and nerves. This damage can cause problems in many areas of your body. This booklet explains the complications that are common in diabetes and how to prevent them.

Diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage)
Diabetic neuropathy this damage makes it hard for the nerves to send messages to the brain and other body parts. If you have nerve damage you may lose feeling in parts of your body or having a painful, tingling or burning sensation.

Neuropathy most often affects the legs and feet. If you have neuropathy, you may not feel they have a foot ulcer. The ulcer may become infected and, in severe cases, the foot may have to be an amputee, is cut. People with neuropathy may continue walking on a foot, joint or bone that has been injured. This can cause a condition known as Charcot foot that causes swelling and instability in the injured foot. You can also make the foot deformed. However, this problem can often be avoided.

If you have diabetes, check your feet every day. If you see swelling, redness and feel warmth in your foot, go see your doctor immediately. These may be signs of Charcot foot. Your doctor will also check your feet often.

Source: http://familydoctor.org/