Diabetes or diabetes mellitus can be termed as a metabolic disease that results in high blood sugar in the body. The hormone known as insulin transfers sugar from your blood into your cells where it is stored and used to produce energy.



Being a diabetic person, your body gets to a state where it either doesn’t effectively utilize the insulin it has made or doesn’t make enough insulin to use in the first place.

To better understand the impact of diabetes on your health, it’s important to first familiarize yourself with the two main types of diabetes namely Type 1 diabetes also known as juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes, and Type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes can be termed as an immune disorder. Ideally, the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin are attacked by your body’s immune system resulting in your body not being able to make insulin.

Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, causes insulin resistance. The pancreas ceases to use insulin as it should. As such, the body experiences difficulty pulling sugar out of the blood to take it to the body cells to produce energy.

That being said, here are some of the negative impacts diabetes can have on your health:

1.    It Causes Kidney Damage
Diabetes causes damage to your kidneys in that it tampers with the kidneys’ ability to sieve out all the waste that is in your blood. Diabetic nephropathy is responsible for kidney damage. This disease doesn’t reveal any symptoms until the late stages when it has really progressed.

If you are diabetic, you should visit your doctor and have him or her perform an evaluation for nephropathy. This will go a long way in preventing kidney damage or worse still, kidney failure.

2.    Damage Of The Skin
Diabetes also has the potential to negatively affect your skin. Owing to the high blood sugar levels in your body, your body becomes deprived of moisture resulting in dehydration. This then results in your skin becoming dry and forming cracks.

As a diabetic person, it’s highly advisable that you dry your feet after interacting with water, the reason for this being that moist skin is highly susceptible to yeast, bacterial, and fungal infections. Ensure that the areas between your toes, fingers, armpits, groin, and the corners of the mouth are kept dry.

High-pressure areas under the foot can result in you getting calluses that have a high likelihood of developing ulcers. An ulcer is bad as it could result in you losing your foot.

If not managed, diabetes can lead to the following 3 skin conditions:
•        Diabetic dermopathy which can result in you developing brown patches on your skin.
•        Eruptive xanthomatosis which results in yellow hard bumps that have a red ring forming on the skin.
•        Digital sclerosis which results in thick skin on the hands and feet.

3.    It Causes High Blood Pressure
If you are diabetic, you are more susceptible to develop high blood pressure which in turn adds more strain to your heart. Having high glucose levels in the blood will result in fatty deposits forming in the walls of your blood vessels.

With time, these fatty deposits may hinder blood flow and result in the hardening of your blood vessels. Studies have shown that diabetes puts you at a high risk of getting a heart disease or even a stroke.

The lack of proper blood flow will in the long term cause a negative effect on your hands and feet resulting in you feeling pain while walking, a condition known as intermittent claudication. Your feet because of your blood vessels becoming narrow may not be able to feel heat, a condition termed as peripheral neuropathy.

The danger with this is that you may not be able to notice an infection or an injury on your feet after it happens.

4.    It Causes Damage To The Nerves
Diabetes causes damage to the nerves in your body, a condition known as diabetic neuropathy. This condition has the potential to affect your ability to sense cold, heat, and pain. It also puts you at a greater risk of getting injuries without you noticing them. The injuries, if unnoticed may result in serious infections.

Not only that, diabetes also results in swollen leaking blood vessels in your eyes, a condition known as diabetic retinopathy. This condition has the potential to damage your vision and could even result in blindness.

Conclusion
From the pointers above, it is evident that diabetes is a serious disease and can have a huge negative impact on your body. However, if proper care is taken, diabetes can be controlled. Part of the care one is supposed to take is seeing a doctor for medication and advice on a proper diet.

It is advisable that you visit a good hospital with specialized doctors conversant with treating diabetes.
For you in Winchester, Ohio, our recommendation of a trusted medical facility to visit is The Memorial Hospital.