“Diabetes” is a disease in which patients have higher than normal blood sugar levels, caused by the pancreas producing insufficient insulin hormone. As a result, the body cannot use blood sugar normally. When sugar accumulates excessively in the blood, it is one of the causes that can lead to diseases and other complications.
Complications from Diabetes
If diabetic patients do not take good care of themselves or do not receive treatment and allow their blood sugar levels to rise continuously for a long time, it may cause complications or various serious diseases. These complications can be divided into two major groups as follows:
- Acute Complications
- Loss of consciousness due to very high blood sugar
- Acidosis
- Convulsions
- Chronic Complications
Caused by the degeneration of blood vessels in various organs of the body, including the brain, heart, kidneys, eyes, leg blood vessels, and nervous system. Patients must strictly control their blood sugar levels according to the doctor’s recommendations. If unable to control for a long period, blood vessel narrowing may occur, affecting the organs supplied by those vessels, leading to the following diseases…
- Heart failure, ischemic heart disease, or heart attack
- Stroke or paralysis
- Peripheral neuropathy
: If wounds occur, they heal slowly or may have secondary infections, which is a major cause of toe loss or the need for foot amputation to save the patient’s life.
- Diabetic Retinopathy
: Blood vessels in the retina begin to inflame and bulge, with blood and lymph leaking throughout the retina, causing blurred vision and poor eyesight. If the newly formed blood vessels have weak walls and rupture easily, it can be severe enough to cause blindness.
- Kidney Failure
: High blood sugar levels cause changes in kidney blood flow and also directly affect kidney tissue. These two changes lead to pathological conditions in the kidneys, resulting in protein in the urine and eventually kidney failure.
If diabetic patients want to avoid complications or secondary diseases, they must follow the doctor’s advice regarding behavior modification, medication, and try to keep blood sugar levels within the appropriate range. This will help slow down and reduce the severity of diabetes and decrease the chances of complications.
Although there is currently no medication that can completely cure diabetes, … “full and best self-care according to the doctor’s advice” can definitely help patients have a quality of life close to that of normal people…
Dr. Sitthipol Chinpong
Specialist in Diabetes, Thyroid, and Endocrinology
Diabetes and Endocrinology Center, Phyathai Nawamin Hospital
