﻿Type 2 Diabetes Complications You Can Avoid | Everyday Health

Type 2 Diabetes Complications You Can Avoid

Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes can cause head-to-toe health problems, but a few healthy lifestyle modifications may keep you complication free.

Cut Your Risks With Better Diabetes Management

Without a solid management plan, type 2 diabetes can be like a house of cards, causing your overall health to come crashing down.

That’s because when your blood sugar isn’t under control, the excess glucose in your body can increase your chance of developing serious related health conditions. Heart disease, kidney disease, vision issues, and nerve damage are among the problems that can result from poorly managed diabetes, says William Sullivan, MD, a senior physician at the Joslin Diabetes Center and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

And the longer your diabetes goes uncontrolled, the higher your risk of developing related complications. If left unmanaged, these related health conditions can be disabling or even life-threatening.

The good news: There are steps you can take to prevent or delay these health complications.

Step one: Work with your doctor to set up a diabetes management plan that focuses on eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, managing stress, avoiding smoke, and following your treatment plan. This will not only help you manage your diabetes, but also reduce your risk of diabetes complications.

Step two: Get educated about the various health complications related to diabetes, and taking steps to reduce your risk.

Here are potential type 2 diabetes health risks and serious complications you can help prevent by working with your doctor and living a healthy diabetes lifestyle.

High Blood Pressure

High blood sugar levels in the bloodstream can cause the blood to thicken, forcing the heart to work harder to pump blood, says Lori Zanini, RD, CDE, a Manhattan Beach, California-based certified diabetes educator and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

In fact, high blood pressure is very common with diabetes, as two in three adults with diabetes also have high blood pressure, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). High blood pressure doesn't always have noticeable symptoms and you may not know you have it unless your doctor checks. Still, it can lead to serious complications including heart attack, stroke, eye problems, and kidney disease.

“Achieving better glycemic control can help reduce blood pressure in individuals with diabetes,” Zanini says. Other strategies for lowering blood pressure include eating a healthy diet, limiting sodium intake, utilizing successful stress management techniques, and participating in regular physical activity, if cleared by a physician.

Heart Disease

An individual with type 2 diabetes has the same level of heart attack risk as someone who's already had a heart attack, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. There are numerous reasons for the link between diabetes and heart disease, Dr. Sullivan says, including a "group attack" from diabetes and other heart disease risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which already affect many people with type 2 diabetes.

Taking control of your diabetes management, lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and not smoking can help lower your risk of heart disease.


Most strokes happen when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel within or leading to the brain. Type 2 diabetes increases your risk of stroke by two to four times, according to the National Stroke Association. Fortunately, the same steps that will help you prevent heart disease — controlling your blood sugar and blood pressure levels, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and not smoking — are also the best ways to help reduce your risk of stroke.

Kidney Failure

Up to 40 percent of people with type 2 diabetes eventually develop kidney failure — the kidney's inability to filter waste and fluid from the blood, according to the National Kidney Foundation. As blood flows through tiny vessels in the kidneys, waste products are filtered out and leave the body through urine. Too much sugar in the blood can stress these filters, making it hard for the kidneys to work effectively. After a while, the filters can break down and leak protein into the urine. If kidney damage continues, you may need dialysis or a kidney transplant.

The ADA recommends regular checks for protein in the urine, an early sign of loss of kidney function. Good diabetes control, including a low-sugar diet, weight control, exercise, and medications, can help prevent the loss of kidney function from type 2 diabetes.

Eye Problems

Several vision complications can result from type 2 diabetes, from glaucoma to cataracts to the most common, diabetic retinopathy. Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage the blood vessels in the eyes, Sullivan says. If left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can cause severe vision loss and even blindness. Nearly half of everyone diagnosed with diabetes has some degree of diabetic retinopathy, according to the National Eye Institute.

Since diabetic retinopathy can go undetected until it reaches advanced stages, Sullivan recommends annual eye exams.

Nerve Damage

Chronically elevated blood sugar levels can lead to nerve damage (neuropathy). About half the people with diabetes have nerve damage, which feels like a tingling or burning sensation, usually in the feet, or even a loss of sensation, the ADA states.

Keeping your blood sugar levels in check may help you prevent nerve damage or lessen the symptoms of it. Once you have nerve damage, regular visits with your doctor should supplement your own daily foot examinations and care routine so that any problems can be spotted early.


Once nerve damage sets in, your risk of infection increases because you may not be able to feel an injury, like a cut on your foot, to help it heal early on. In addition to examining your feet every day, check in with your doctor at the first sign of infection, such as redness or swelling. Protect your feet by keeping your skin moisturized with a coat of petroleum jelly or rich cream, but make sure to keep the areas between your toes dry because extra moisture there can increase the risk of infection, the ADA suggests.

Digestion Problems

Also called neuropathy of the stomach, gastroparesis is a type of nerve damage that results when food takes a long time to be emptied from the stomach and digested. This condition can be caused by high blood sugar levels over time. Symptoms include abdominal bloating and decreased appetite, which can make diabetes harder to control, Sullivan says.

Eating small, frequent meals can reduce further complications. Medications such as metoclopramide can be helpful, Sullivan adds. In severe cases, intravenous feeding may be needed.

Weight Gain

Many people who develop type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese, and weight loss is a big factor in controlling diabetes. Occasionally, medications essential to managing diabetes, like insulin, can exacerbate weight gain.

What’s more, carrying around extra weight can contribute to several other health complications related to diabetes, like high blood pressure and stroke.

So if you’re overweight, it’s important to focus on weight loss. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start small. According to the ADA, losing just 10-15 pounds can help make a difference in your health.

Your doctor may recommend working with a registered dietitian and a personal trainer to help you set up a diabetes weight loss plan. "Diet and exercise is always encouraged as the first line of therapy, but it works better for some people than others," says Sullivan. If you’re obese and having trouble losing weight with diet and exercise alone, your doctor may recommend medications to suppress your appetite and promote weight loss, or even gastric bypass surgery.

The good news: For some people, reaching and maintaining a healthy weight can help reduce the need for certain diabetes medications.

Additional updating and reporting by Beth W. Orenstein