It is very important for a type 1 diabetes patient to always make sure that their blood sugar level is on the normal level because this disease has the tendency to affect important organs in the human body such as the eyes, heart, kidney and so on. The tips that we’re about to share with you will help you to understand how you can continue to maintain your blood sugar level as close as possible to the normal level and avoid the unwanted complications.
It usually takes at least one year before the long-term complications for type 1 diabetes to develop. You stand higher chance to get the dangerous complications if you start getting diabetes early and didn’t take the effort to control your blood sugar level. The complication can cause the individual to end up with disabilities or even death.
You will stand higher risk to get several cardiovascular issues. Some of the known complication includes angina, heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke, atherosclerosis and so on. The statistic according to American Heart Associations reveal that more than 65% diabetes patient died due to blood vessel related disease.
Excessive sugar in the blood can cause blood vessels to get injured. This is known as neuropathy or nerve damage and usually attack in the leg area. The patient will experience numbness, tingling or pain in the affected area, usually at the tips of their toes or fingers. This can slowly grow upward and affect other body parts. The patient will probably lose all sense of feeling in the affected limb area if the blood sugar level is not monitored properly. If the nerve that controls digestion is affected, the patient will also experience vomiting, diarrhea, nausea or constipation because of the inability to digest food properly. As for men, they also has the risk of getting erectile dysfunction.
Type 1 Diabetes patients can easily get skin related disease when compared to a healthy individual. They might get fungal and bacterial infection. Some might experience gum infections, this is especially true for those who has a poor dental hygiene history.
Having diabetes will cause the patient to have low bone mineral density and this usually lead to osteoporosis.
People with type 1 diabetes will tend to develop hearing problem as well.
High blood sugar level is a dangerous situation; this is especially true if a woman is pregnant because it is risky to both the mom and baby. The risk of getting pregnancy related complications such as miscarriage, birth defects and also stillbirth is increased manifold when the blood sugar level is not controlled. The mother can even get diabetic ketoacidosis, preeclampsia, pregnancy related high blood pressure problem and diabetic eye problems (retinopathy).
Diabetes can also damage the tiny blood vessels in the retina (diabetic retinopathy) and cause the patient to end up with blindness if it is not treated and managed properly. It also increases the risk of getting glaucoma and cataracts.
The nerve area in the feet area can get damaged and causing poor blood flow to the area. It is important to ensure that any injury in that area to be treated and handled properly to avoid any part of the leg, such as foot, toe or even the whole leg to be amputated.