6 Ways To Prevent Complications Of Type 2 Diabetes

Prevention Of Diabetes Complications

Type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for many serious conditions, including heart disease, stroke, diabetic nerve damage, kidney disease, and blindness. High blood sugar affects many organs of the body. It is this damage that eventually exacts its toll on the body and can cause death to the patient with diabetes.

Diabetes has many health complications and side effects. In fact, it was the 7th leading cause of death in 2010. Fifty percent of people with diabetes die of heart disease and stroke, 71% of adults with diabetes also have hypertension, 44% of all kidney failures in 2011 were the result of diabetes, and 60% of all non-traumatic amputations of the lower limbs resulted from nerve damage because of diabetes.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to prevent some of these complications and improve the quality of your life with diabetes. The worst thing is allowing this disease to fester without attendance and careful attention. Here are some effective methods.

1Maintain Good Blood Sugars

Check your blood sugars at least twice daily. Find patterns of eating and exercise that keep the blood sugars under 180 mg/dL at all times. High blood sugar is the trigger for the secondary complications of diabetes, so do all you can to eat right and exercise and take medications when your doctor recommends it.

2Monitor Blood Sugars

Often there are no symptoms of increases in blood glucose. This is why it is necessary to monitor regularly. Regular doctor's visits to check Hemoglobin A1C and a home glucose meter are important methods for monitoring your blood sugar.

3Check Your Feet Every Night

High blood sugar in diabetes can cause diabetic neuropathy, which is nerve damage, mostly in the feet and hands. With diabetic neuropathy, you can step on something and get open sores of the feet without feeling it. These open areas can cause infection to enter the body and must be tended to immediately. Look particularly at the bottom of the feet and between the toes for any areas where the skin could be broken.

4Wear Appropriate Shoes

Diabetics, unfortunately, cannot wear just any shoe. Shoes that rub parts of the feet raw or are too tight can cause open sores. For this reason, many insurance companies will pay for the person with diabetes to have a pair of custom-made orthopedic shoes that will keep the feet cradled in comfort while walking.

5See An Ophthalmologist Every Year

An ophthalmologist or eye specialist can dilate the eyes and can look at the retina for evidence of diabetic retinopathy. This is a condition where the elevated blood sugar triggers rupture the tiny vessels of the eye. There are treatments, such as laser treatments that coagulate the bleeding areas to preserve vision for as long as possible.

6Check Cholesterol And Triglycerides

Diabetes and high cholesterol/triglycerides often go hand in hand. This complication triggers the formation of plaques in the major arteries supplying the legs, heart, and brain. If the cholesterol isn't controlled along with the blood sugar, the plaques can enlarge and restrict or block the circulation to these vital areas. The result could be a heart attack, peripheral vascular disease, or stroke. These are potentially deadly diseases with death due to heart failure, sudden cardiac arrest, complications of gangrene or amputation, or brain cell death.

There are 7,686 cases of diabetic retinopathy diagnosed in 2010; this number is up from the 2,063 cases diagnosed in the year 2000. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults age 20 to 74. People with diabetes are twice more likely to suffer from depression. Congenital disabilities, large babies, and other dangerous complications to the mother and baby can result from uncontrolled diabetes during pregnancy. Those with diabetes have two times the risk of death from any cause, as opposed to those without the disease.

Dealing with the complications of type 2 diabetes can be difficult, but knowledge is always power. The more you know, the better off you'll be, so why not get started learning today? The following information contains advice on effective methods in reducing the complications of type 2 diabetes, ranging from maintaining good blood sugars to wearing appropriate shoes, so no matter what you need, you'll have an understanding of how to handle effective methods in reducing the complications of type 2 diabetes.

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John Quintana
