How Does Diabetes Affect Overall Health?

Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects how your body produces insulin, a hormone that helps your body use blood sugar (glucose). Without proper management, diabetes can lead to elevated blood sugars which can have far-reaching impacts on nearly every part of your body.

At Premier Physicians Weight Loss & Wellness in Las Vegas, Henderson, and Reno, Nevada, Dana Trippi, DO, and our team help patients manage diabetes using scientifically evidence based medicine for optimal wellness.

In this post, we review ways diabetes can affect your overall wellness, particularly if it’s not well-managed.

Cardiovascular concerns

High blood sugar levels damage blood vessels, interfering with circulation and taking a toll on the heart. Diabetes increases your risks of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and chronic inflammation, all factors that play key roles in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. 

Data show people with diabetes are twice as likely to have heart disease and 1.5 times as likely to suffer a stroke compared with people without diabetes.

Nerve damage (neuropathy)

High glucose levels can damage your nerves, particularly those in your legs and feet, increasing your risk of a condition called diabetic neuropathy. Common symptoms include tingling, nerve pain, and numbness in your feet or other areas of your body.

Loss of feeling caused by nerve damage makes it harder to feel tiny injuries, like sores or cuts, increasing your risk of dangerous infections called diabetic ulcers. These infections can increase your risk of amputations, particularly of your lower legs or feet.

Kidney problems

Your kidneys filter waste and toxic byproducts from your blood, eliminating them through urination. If you have poorly managed diabetes, elevated glucose levels can damage the tiny vessels that comprise this filtration system, allowing byproducts and waste to build up.

Over time, a decline in kidney function can lead to kidney damage and kidney failure, creating a life-threatening health problem that requires dialysis or kidney transplant surgery. If you have diabetes, monitoring kidney function with regular blood tests and urinalysis is essential.

Vision issues

High glucose levels can damage the tiny blood vessels that protect your eye health, increasing your risks of problems like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts. Without treatment, these conditions can lead to a permanent loss of vision.

As with your kidneys, your eyes need routine evaluation to monitor for diabetes-related changes, particularly in the light-sensitive retinas at the back of your eyes. 

Digestive concerns

Digestion is a complex process controlled by nerves; during digestion, your blood vessels absorb nutrients. Since diabetes can affect your nerves and circulation, it’s not surprising that it can also cause digestive issues.

When diabetes damages the nerves associated with digestion, the process slows, leading to bloating, nausea, and vomiting. Without treatment, diabetes can cause a serious digestive complication called gastroparesis.

Oral health problems

High blood sugar provides a food source for bacteria that cause gum disease and cavities. It also leads to increased inflammation.

If you have diabetes, extra attention to oral health is essential, including at-home care and routine checkups to catch oral health problems in their early stages.

Problems with wound healing

Poor circulation and nerve damage associated with diabetes make it harder for the body to heal following injuries. Slow wound-healing increases the risk of deep diabetic ulcers, increasing the risks of gangrene, tissue death, and amputation.

Wounds commonly affect the feet, so maintaining good foot health is critical. Seek care at the first sign of a foot wound or other foot problem.

Manage diabetes successfully

There’s no cure for diabetes, but we can help manage it using a proactive approach focused on your evolving needs. To discuss a weight management plan that can reduce elevated blood sugars, request an appointment online or over the phone with Premier Physicians Weight Loss & Wellness today.