Diabetes Complications

Living with diabetes is getting easier, thanks to better treatments and innovative tools. While positive strides have been made, it’s important to know about possible problems.

At Banner Health, we’re here to help every step of the way. Find out the potential side effects of diabetes and take steps to prevent or delay them so you can live a healthier life with diabetes. 

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition that affects how your body uses sugar (glucose) in your blood. It happens when your body either doesn’t make enough insulin (a hormone that controls blood sugar) or can’t use it properly. 

There are different types of diabetes, but the most common are type 1 and type 2. Another type of diabetes is gestational diabetes which you may get during pregnancy. Prediabetes, is a condition when your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but have not reach diabetic levels.

How diabetes affects the body

If you have diabetes, it’s important to regularly check your blood sugar. Even if you’re being careful, sometimes problems can happen. Some complications can build up over time (chronic complications) and some can happen at any time (acute complications).

Sudden complications of diabetes

Sudden (also known as acute) diabetes complications can happen at any time and may cause long-term problems. These include: 

• Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia): This happens when blood sugar levels drop too low. Blood sugar levels can drop suddenly when you take too many medications (including insulin). This may cause shakiness, confusion, and in some cases, passing out.
• High blood sugar (hyperglycemia): High blood sugar happens when you don’t have enough insulin, you eat too many carbs or you're stressed or sick. This may cause extreme thirst, needing to pee often and feeling very tired or exhausted.
• Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA): This life-threatening emergency happens when blood sugar levels get very high and the body produces harmful substances called ketones. DKA often occurs in people with diabetes who don’t have enough insulin. Symptoms may include extreme thirst, needing to pee often, unexplained weight loss and feeling very tired or exhausted.
• Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS): This life-threatening emergency happens when blood sugar levels become too high and the body gets dehydrated. HHS only affects people who have type 2 diabetes. Symptoms may include extreme thirst, needing to pee often and confusion.

Chronic complications of diabetes

Over time and without proper care, too much sugar in your blood can cause damage to different parts of the body. 

The following are long-term complications that can happen with diabetes:

• Heart disease and stroke: High blood sugar levels can damage the blood vessels in your brain and heart. This can increase the risk of heart attacks, stroke and other cardiovascular problems.
• Nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy): Diabetes can damage the vessels that supply blood to your nerves. This can cause numbness, pain and tingling in your hands, feet and legs. It can also cause problems with digestion and your sexual and bladder health.
• Kidney problems: High blood sugar can damage the blood vessels in your kidneys over time, making it harder to clear extra liquid and waste from your body. This can lead to chronic kidney disease or diabetic nephropathy. 
• Eye problems: High blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels in your eyes, causing various eye conditions like diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, glaucoma and blindness.
• Foot problems: Poor blood flow and nerve damage can cause foot problems, including infections and ulcers. In severe cases, this may lead to amputation.
• Gum disease: High blood sugar in your saliva can help harmful bacteria grow in your mouth. The bacteria combine with food to form a sticky film called plaque. Plaque can cause bad breath, gum disease, cavities and tooth decay.
• Skin problems: High blood sugar can affect collagen and slow down healing. Reduced blood flow and nerve damage also make skin more prone to skin infections. 

When you have one chronic complication, you’re more likely to develop other health problems. For example, if the blood vessels in your feet are damaged, serious heart and kidney problems can follow.

But staying healthy is not only about keeping your blood sugar levels in the normal range. High blood pressure, smoking and too much fat in your blood (cholesterol) can also make your risk for complications higher.

Next step: Take steps to prevent and delay complications

Knowing about diabetes complications is important because it helps you and your health care provider take steps to prevent them, find issues early on and create a treatment plan that works for you. 

Regularly monitoring your blood sugar levels, along with other steps, can help prevent or delay complications related to diabetes. Learn more about the importance of regular monitoring.