Complications That Arise If Diabetes Is Left Untreated

Nerve Damage

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The kidneys aren't the only home to blood vessels you should be concerned about: excess sugar might cause injury to the walls of your capillaries. These small blood vessels are responsible for the nourishment of nerves, particularly leg nerves. Damage might cause pain, burning, numbness, and tingling. It most commonly starts in the tips of the extremities and spreads slowly upward.

If diabetes is left untreated, patients will lose all sensation in the affected limbs. Nerve damage will cause other issues besides the loss of feeling and pain. You might experience constipation, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. In men, it's common for this nerve damage to cause erectile dysfunction.

Keep going to get more details on potential complications of untreated diabetes.

Eye Disease

Photo Credit: Dreamstime

Retinopathy, a form of eye disease, is another complication that occurs due to the attacked blood vessels. Diabetes will damage the blood vessels found in your retina, causing a condition known as diabetic retinopathy, which has the potential to cause blindness in one or both eyes. The disease also increases your risk of developing other serious conditions with your vision, including glaucoma and cataracts.

Another form of eye disease affecting diabetes patients is diabetic macular edema (DME), which only occurs as a consequence of the patient developing diabetic retinopathy. An area of the retina referred to as the macula experiences swelling because of a fluid build-up. Individuals need their macula to look straight ahead and focus, which is essential for facial recognition, driving, and reading. Most diabetic patients who go blind do so because of DME.

Get to know the next major complication of untreated diabetes now.

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