Diabetes is a disease that is seen in adults as well as young children. Diabetes is a chronic disease that causes changes in the metabolism of the body. The metabolic changes in the body can commonly lead to conditions like hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia. The disease is very chronic and there is no cure to it. The only method of preventing the various complications of the disease is to prevent the glucose levels in the blood from shooting up. This can be done through the medications that you consume.
Diabetes is also a deadly disease because of the fact that it affects almost all the systems of the body. Some of the common systems that are affected by the disease are listed here.
1. Endocrine system:
The disease is actually primarily a disease of the endocrine system. The reason is that the insulin is secreted by the pancreas as a hormone in the body. When there is an abnormality in the production or supply of this insulin in the blood, diabetes can occur. So this disease is called as an endocrine disease.
2. Nervous system:
The disease affects the various nerves in the body. This is called as diabetic neuropathy. As the functions of the nerve include giving strength to the muscles and also sensation to the skin, the damage to the nerves due to the disease can cause the person who is affected to have decreased or absent sensation and also weakness or paralysis of certain muscles. The decreased sensation can lead to the formation of wounds or ulcers in the feet of those affected and this is one of the leading complications of diabetes. This ulceration can lead to infection, amputation and even death if not adequately treated.
3. Eye problems:
Ocular problems are also common in diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of the disease. Diabetes can also cause you to have early formation of cataract leading to decrease in the vision. There are many people who have even lost their eye sight because of diabetes.
4. Blood supply / Vascular problems:
Diabetes can also cause vascular problems that includes loss of blood supply to the extremities. If not a complete loss of blood supply, then it can lead to decrease in the blood supply to the extremities. The decrease in the blood supply to the extremities is also very dangerous and can be fatal in certain situations. There are many times when the decreased blood supply can also cause ulcers and this can lead to gangrene because blood supply is very important for the healing of ulcers.
5. Kidney problems/ Nephropathy:
This is another common problem that is seen in people who are affected by diabetes. If you are not careful, then the increased glucose levels in the blood will lead to various problems including renal failure or kidney failure. This can lead to severe complications and cause death.
These are only some of the major complications that can be caused by diabetes. There are also many other complications that can be seen in those affected by diabetes.
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