Diabetes Complications

Summary

What is diabetes?

If you have diabetes, your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Glucose comes from the foods you eat. A hormone called insulin helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy. With type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. With type 2 diabetes, your body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in your blood.

What health problems can diabetes cause?

Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can cause complications, including:

• Eye disease, due to changes in fluid levels, swelling in the tissues, and damage to the blood vessels in the eyes
• Foot problems, caused by damage to the nerves and reduced blood flow to your feet
• Gum disease and other dental problems, because a high amount of blood sugar in your saliva helps harmful bacteria grow in your mouth. The bacteria combine with food to form a soft, sticky film called plaque. Plaque also comes from eating foods that contain sugars or starches. Some types of plaque cause gum disease and bad breath. Other types cause tooth decay and cavities.
• Heart disease and stroke, caused by damage to your blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart and blood vessels
• Kidney disease, due to damage to the blood vessels in your kidneys. Many people with diabetes develop high blood pressure. That can also damage your kidneys.
• Nerve problems (diabetic neuropathy), caused by damage to the nerves and the small blood vessels that nourish your nerves with oxygen and nutrients
• Sexual and bladder problems, caused by damage to the nerves and reduced blood flow in the genitals and bladder
• Skin conditions, some of which are caused by changes in the small blood vessels and reduced circulation. People with diabetes are also more likely to have infections, including skin infections.

What other problems can people with diabetes have?

If you have diabetes, you need to watch out for blood sugar levels that are very high (hyperglycemia) or very low (hypoglycemia). These can happen quickly and can become dangerous. Some of the causes include having another illness or infection and certain medicines. They can also happen if you don’t get the right amount of diabetes medicines. To try to prevent these problems, make sure to take your diabetes medicines correctly, follow your diabetic diet, and check your blood sugar regularly.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Find an Expert

• American Diabetes Association American Diabetes Association
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• NIDDK Information Clearinghouses and Health Information Center National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Blood Glucose Testing and Management American Diabetes Association
• Diabetes Care: 10 Ways to Avoid Diabetes Complications Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Diabetes, Gum Disease, and Other Dental Problems National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Weight Loss American Diabetes Association

Specifics

• Bone and Joint Problems Associated with Diabetes Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Diabetes & Oral Health National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
• Diabetes and DKA (Ketoacidosis) American Diabetes Association
• Diabetes and High Blood Pressure American Diabetes Association
• Diabetes and Skin Complications American Diabetes Association
• Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Diabetes, Sexual, and Bladder Problems National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Diabetic Coma Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Diabetic Hypoglycemia Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Diabetic Ketoacidosis Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Gastroparesis National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Hyperglycemia in Diabetes Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Diabetes Complications National Institutes of Health

Patient Handouts

• Diabetes – preventing heart attack and stroke Medical Encyclopedia
• Diabetes: Dental Tips National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
• Diabetic hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome Medical Encyclopedia
• Diabetic ketoacidosis Medical Encyclopedia
• Long term complications of diabetes Medical Encyclopedia

Start Here

• Diabetes — Know When to Go to the ER American College of Emergency Physicians
• Prevent Diabetes Complications Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Women

• Diabetes and Women Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Images

• Diabetic Dermopathy VisualDX

Men

• Erectile Dysfunction and Diabetes American Diabetes Association

Encyclopedia

• Eruptive xanthomatosis Medical Encyclopedia
• Gastroparesis Medical Encyclopedia
• Ketones blood test Medical Encyclopedia
• Ketones urine test Medical Encyclopedia
• Necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum Medical Encyclopedia
• Potassium urine test Medical Encyclopedia
• Scleredema diabeticorum Medical Encyclopedia

Diagnosis and Tests

• Ketones in Blood National Library of Medicine
• Ketones in Urine National Library of Medicine

Journal Articles

• Diabetes Complications

Living With

• Steps to Prevent or Delay Nerve Damage American Diabetes Association