A Closer Look at How Diabetes Impacts Your Whole Health

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when your blood sugar levels are too high. This happens because your body either doesn’t produce enough insulin, which helps move glucose from your blood into your cells to provide energy, or your body can’t effectively use the insulin it does produce.

More than 38 million people in the United States have diabetes, and it’s the eighth leading cause of death as well.

Given that diabetes is so widespread, Pamela Phillips, Ph.D., FNP-C, and our team at Phillips Family Medical want you to understand how it affects our entire body as well. Here are a few ways diabetes impacts your whole health.

Heart disease

Diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular complications. Increased levels can lead to narrowing of your arteries, which in turn leads to higher blood pressure and increased cholesterol. This puts more pressure and strain on your heart and raises the risk of strokes as well.

Vision problems

High blood sugar can also affect the lens in your eye. Left untreated, it can lead to blurred vision, swollen and leaky blood vessels in your eye, vision loss, and even blindness.

Kidney damage

If your blood sugar remains high over a long period of time, your condition can overwork your kidneys, which are constantly filtering waste from your blood. Over time, kidney disease can lead to kidney failure.

Neuropathy

If your glucose levels are elevated, this can cause damage to your nerves, called neuropathy. This makes you more susceptible to injury because your perception of pain, heat, and cold will then be altered. Neuropathy usually starts as numbness, tingling, and pain in your extremities.

Foot health

Because of neuropathy and poor circulation caused by diabetes, many people develop ulcers on their feet that can go unnoticed for a long time. This can result in infection and in severe cases, amputation.

Dental issues

Both gum disease and tooth decay leading to cavities occur more often in people with diabetes as well. The increased sugar levels also attract more harmful bacteria in your mouth, leading to further decay and infection.

The moral of the story? If you don’t treat your diabetes, the disease will eventually cause problems for your entire body. If you think you may have diabetes or you’re looking for help managing your diabetes, don’t delay.

Our experienced, caring team at Phillips Family Medical can provide the guidance you need. Call our DeSoto, Texas, office at 972-861-1151 to schedule an appointment, or use our online scheduler to book your own time.