If you don’t manage your type 2 diabetes well, you can develop serious diabetes-related problems.
Here are parts of the body that diabetes can damage:
Heart:
Type 2 diabetes raises your risk of heart attack or stroke. It may also lead to high blood pressure. This risk is higher if you have high cholesterol.
Your risk may be even higher if you are overweight or if you smoke.
Eyes:
Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults ages 20 to 74. Over time, diabetes damages blood vessels in the back of the eye. And, if you have diabetes, you are more likely to get cataracts and glaucoma.
Kidneys:
Diabetes is the leading cause of severe kidney disease in the US.
Diabetes affects the kidney’s ability to rid the body of waste through urine. Diabetics with poor blood sugar control and high blood pressure are at greatest risk of severe kidney disease.
Over time, this damage can lead to severe kidney disease, which must be treated with dialysis or a transplant.
Nerves:
Diabetes can injure your nerves. When this happens, you may not feel pain in your feet or other places. Or, a cut or ulcers may get infected without your noticing.
The most common severe nerve damage problems are foot ulcers and amputations. The risk of amputations is greater in people with poorly controlled diabetes. Nerve damage also can lead to sexual and stomach problems.
Skin:
Diabetes can affect every part of your body, including your skin. People with diabetes may be more likely to have itching, infections, rashes, and discolored skin.
Mouth:
You may be more likely to get infections, and your body has a harder time fighting germs, when you have type 2 diabetes. So, you’re more likely to get gum disease because your body has a harder time fighting germs.
Brain:
Diabetes and high blood pressure raise your risk of stroke.
