Diabetes affects everything.
There is a definite connection between diabetes and your overall health. Uncontrolled diabetes can take a toll on nearly every organ in your body.
It would be difficult to find a single organ system NOT affected by diabetes. These complications are generally classified as either microvascular (small blood vessels) or macrovascular (large blood vessels).
Uncontrolled diabetes can affect almost every organ system in the body, including the brain, heart, kidneys, eyes, nervous system, skin and soft tissues. If uncontrolled, diabetes can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, blindness, chronic pain and amputations.
The most common long-term diabetes-related health problems are: damage to the large blood vessels of the heart, brain and legs (macrovascular complications) damage to the small blood vessels, causing problems in the eyes, kidneys, feet and nerves (microvascular complications).
It’s important to get regular checkups. You can help pick up problems early and prevent serious complications by having regular checks of your:
- blood pressure
- blood glucose levels including HbA1c
- cholesterol and triglycerides
- kidney function
- eyes
- feet
- teeth and gums