Complications of Diabetes

Anyone who has diabetes, may also have other health problems that increase their risk for heart attacks, stroke, kidney disease and eye disease. Some of the common complications of diabetes are listed below:

Cardiovascular disease

• Having diabetes increases the risk of a person developing high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, because diabetes adversely affects the arteries, predisposing them to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Atherosclerosis can cause high blood pressure, which if not treated, can lead to blood vessel damage, stroke, heart failure, heart attack or kidney failure.
• Heart disease and stroke account for about 65% of deaths in people with diabetes. People with diabetes have higher heart disease rates than people without diabetes-2 times higher for men and 3 times higher for women.

Kidney disease

Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 42% of new cases of kidney failure in 2004.

• In 2004, 2,139 people with diabetes began treatment for end-stage renal (kidney) disease.
• In 2004, 8,624 people with end-stage kidney disease due to diabetes were undergoing dialysis or had a kidney transplant.

Blindness

Diabetic retinopathy causes an estimated 600 new cases of blindness each year. It affects almost all people who have lived with diabetes for more than 30 years.

Other complications

People with diabetes are more susceptible to many other illnesses. For example, diabetics may be more likely to die of pneumonia or influenza than people who do not have diabetes.

Reducing the risk of complications

Working with a health care providers can reduce the occurrence of the complications listed above and other diabetes complications by controlling levels of blood glucose, blood pressure and blood lipids, and by ensuring that the person with diabetes receives other preventive care treatments and advice in a timely manner.

Reducing the risk of diabetes complications can be achieved by:

• not smoking;
• being physically active;
• eating a healthy, balanced diet;
• controlling blood glucose levels;
• maintaining a healthy cholesterol level;
• controlling blood pressure;
• taking care of the feet by regularly examining toes and skin;
• regular dentist visits;
• having regular eye examinations by an eye care specialist; and
• having regular kidney function testing.