The defective ability to maintain glucose levels within normal limits may lead to a number disorders if a specific treatment regimen is not maintained.
In general these complications are either short-term or long-term ones:
- short-term complications
Short-term complications are connected with low or conversely very high glycemia levels in the blood (hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia respectively). These conditions are dealt with in detail in other sections of the website.
- long-term complications
Long-term complications are the result of high concentrations of glucose in the blood over a period of years. Eventually the glucose chemically binds to parts of specific body tissues resulting in their damage and leading thereafter to impaired or complete loss of function in some organs.
- eye complications (Diabetic Retinopathy): The uderlying cause of Diabetic Retinopathy is damage to blood vessels in the retina. When a vessel is damaged, parts of blood plasma, and later blood, seep through the defective vessel wall into the vitreous body. As the disease progresses, it may lead even to complete blidness. Diabetes is the number one cause of blidness worldwide.
- neurological complications (Diabetic Polyneuropathy): Nerve fibres, esp. the peripheric ones, are damaged which may in the long term lead to the loss of sensitivity of skin, defective innervation of the inner organs and to very unpleasant painful symptoms (burning or electric pain).
- kidney damage (Diabetic Nephropathy): Damage to the structures of the kidney filtration membrane may allow proteins to permeate the membrane at a higher than normal rate resulting in gradual deterioration of kidney (renal) function. This may lead to renal failure and the necessity of life-long regular dialysis or a kidney transplantation.
- large blood vessel damage (Ischemic Disease): Diabetics when compared to the normal population are at greater risk of developing atherosclerotic changes which are responsible for Coronary Heart Disease, with increased risk of myocardial infarction, as much as for the ischemic disease of lower extremities leading often to inflammatory defects, with extremities being in the danger of amputation.