How Can Diabetes Affect You?

A staggering 422 million people around the world suffer from diabetes and its crippling effects — that’s almost 8.5 percent of the total population.¹ When we think of diabetes, insulin injections are often the first thing that comes to mind. But while it’s certainly no fun being chained to a syringe for the rest of your life, diabetes is linked to a whole host of other serious health consequences.

Your eyesight

Diabetic eye disease refers to a group of eye ailments, including cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. A Cataract is a clouding of the lens in the human eye, which causes bright spots in the patient’s vision and if progress unchecked, can ultimately lead to blindness. Diabetics are up to 60% more likely to develop cataracts, often from a surprisingly young age.³

Glaucoma is a disease that damages the eye’s optic nerve, gradually destroying the eye’s ability to communicate images to the brain.² Diabetic retinopathy occurs when high blood sugar levels damage the tiny blood vessels inside the retina, causing them to leak fluid or even bleed. Serious cases may involve retinal detachment and even permanent loss of vision.²

Your heart

The links between diabetes and heart disease are well-established. Not only are diabetics more likely to develop heart disease, they are also nearly two times more likely to die from it. That statistic goes up if they are overweight or have high cholesterol.⁴

Most prominently, diabetics are at a much greater risk of developing coronary heart disease, which involves a buildup of plaque inside the arteries responsible for supplying your heart with blood, and your body with oxygen. The thicker the plaque inside your artery, the more difficult it is for blood to flow, and when the arteries become too constricted, a potentially fatal heart attack would be resulted.

Your feet

Diabetes is often mentioned in the same breath as gangrene. Many of us have seen diabetics with amputated limbs, and their plight should serve as a stark reminder of diabetes’ cruel consequences.

However, it’s important to remember that diabetes doesn’t directly cause gangrene. Instead, it contributes to a condition known as peripheral vascular disease, whereby high blood glucose levels reduce blood flow, particularly to the extremities like your hands and feet. This diminishes sufferers’ recovery time for sores and cuts. A simple surface wound may become severely infected, and eventually lead to the affected limb becoming gangrenous.

Preventing diabetes

The devastating effects of diabetes go far beyond a reliance on insulin injections. Remember to engage in regular exercises, plan a diet rich in whole grains, dietary fiber and lean protein, as well as avoiding smoking and alcohol if you want to reduce diabetes risk. It may require some discipline, but the dire consequences of diabetes give an overwhelming incentive to better our lifestyle.

Resources

1. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs312/en/, visited 3 July 2017
2. https://nei.nih.gov/health/diabetic/retinopathy, visited 3 July 2017
3. http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-complications/cataracts.html, visited 3 July 2017
4. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/heart-disease-stroke, visited 3 July 2017