When talking about “diabetes”, most people tend to think it is caused by eating sweet foods or drinking a lot of sugary drinks frequently, without knowing that diabetes can actually result from poor health behaviors as well, such as lack of exercise, allowing obesity or being overweight, liking fried foods and fatty foods, which cause high blood fat. These are all causes that increase the risk of developing diabetes too.
Getting to Know “Diabetes”
“Diabetes” is a disease caused by a dysfunction of a hormone called insulin. Normally, our body needs insulin to transport sugar in the bloodstream to nourish various organs, especially the brain and muscles. When insulin is abnormal, whether it is a decrease in the amount of insulin in the body or the organs’ reduced response to insulin (called insulin resistance), the body cannot effectively use the sugar in the bloodstream. This causes an excess amount of sugar to remain in the blood. If the blood sugar level rises to a certain point, the kidneys, which normally reabsorb sugar from the filtered substances in the nephrons, cannot reabsorb all the sugar. This results in sugar leaking into the urine, which is the origin of the term “diabetes”. If left untreated properly, it will eventually lead to serious complications.
High Blood Sugar Levels Pose Greater Risks Than You Think
Diabetic patients, if blood sugar levels are left very high, the body cannot use sugar for energy and must break down fat under the skin instead. This causes diabetic patients with high blood sugar levels to experience frequent urination, frequent thirst, weight loss, and fatigue. These symptoms usually develop slowly. If left chronic, complications may follow, such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy, heart disease, stroke, slow wound healing, and increased susceptibility to infections.
Complications of Diabetes
When abnormal high blood sugar persists for a long time, the high sugar directly affects both small and large blood vessels, causing inflammation and making blood vessels more prone to blockage than normal people. It also affects the body’s immune system. Chronic high blood sugar causes excess sugar to bind to white blood cells that fight infections, reducing their effectiveness and leading to increased susceptibility to infections.
Complications of Diabetes Affecting Various Organs
When diabetes lasts a long time and is not properly treated, it may cause complications in various organs, such as:
- Complications in the “Kidneys” When diabetes causes kidney complications, symptoms include foamy urine, swelling, fatigue, nausea, and paleness. In severe cases, it may lead to kidney failure requiring dialysis.
- Complications in the “Heart” Long-term diabetes is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease. Patients may experience chest pain, easy fatigue, inability to lie flat, and swollen legs.
- Complications in the “Eyes” The eyes are commonly affected by diabetic complications, which can be divided into several stages. Early diabetic retinopathy may have no symptoms but can be detected by retinal examination. Severe stages can cause vision loss.
- Complications in the “Feet” Foot ulcers are common in diabetes. Some patients may have chronic wounds that heal slowly, while others may have rapidly progressing ulcers. Severe cases may lead to loss of limbs.
- Complications in the “Nerves” Patients with long-term diabetes may develop peripheral neuropathy, often experiencing numbness in the hands and feet. Some may feel burning pain or sharp, needle-like pain.
- Complications in the “Brain” Blood vessels supplying the brain are often narrowed in poorly controlled diabetes, leading to stroke and paralysis.
It can be seen that diabetes causes various symptoms, ranging from those caused by high blood sugar itself to symptoms from diabetic complications. Some symptoms are difficult to detect in the early stages. Therefore, regular blood sugar testing is useful for detecting diabetes early, allowing timely control of blood sugar levels or treatment according to the disease stage, to maintain quality of life and good health for a long time.
