Type 2 Diabetes Complications and How to Prevent Them?
Having type 2 diabetes (also known as type 2 diabetes mellitus), if you do not work hard to maintain your blood glucose level in moderate range, there are long-term and short-term complications to take on. Therefore, by watching the kinds and amount of food you consume, taking and exercising any essential medications, you might be able to cure such complications. And even if you are having few long-term more severe complications when you are diagnosing at first, having tough control on your blood glucose will aid in preventing the complications from getting worse. It might be possible having type diabetes to have some of the problems when you are diagnosing at first.
That’s because diabetes type 2 forms slowly and you might not realize that you are having high blood sugar for some time. By that time, high blood glucose might lead to severe damage. Short-term complications of diabetes type 2 are hypoglycemia (quite low blood glucose) and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome (HHNS) that is quite high blood sugar. While, long-term complications of diabetes type 2 are kidney disease (nephropathy), macrovascular problems, diabetic retinopathy and diabetic neuropathy.
- Short-term type 2 diabetes complications
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia is a low blood sugar level (blood glucose). It might be a chance for your blood sugar to drop significantly if you are taking a sulfonylurea drug or insulin (those make the body process insulin throughout a day). With such medication, if you consume less than typical or more active, the blood sugar might dip a lot. Other possible reasons for hypoglycemia consist of medications (aspirin for instance, reduces the level of blood sugar if you are taking a dose above 81 mg) and a lot of alcohol (alcohol makes the liver secretes glucose).
The symptoms and signs of lower blood sugar are simple to recognize:
- Anxiety
- Rapid heartbeat
- Sleepiness
- Sweating
- Confusion
- Numbness in toes, fingers and lips
- Whiteness of skin
- Slurred speech
- Headaches
Mild hypoglycemia cases might be curable by consuming a tablet of glucose or drinking orange juice; those increase your blood sugar level quickly. If you are having type 2 diabetes and you are taking insulin then you must carry glucagon with you always. Also, you must get unconscious and unresponsive because of hypoglycemia; you will require a sudden injection of glucagon. Therefore, glucagon is a hormone that brings a method in the body that increases your blood sugar level.
Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome
Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome (HHNS) is quite rare, but you must be aware of it and be aware of how to handle it if it happens. HHNS is when the blood glucose level goes way too high and if you do not cure it, it might lead to death. HHNS is more likely to happen when you are ill and older people are more likely to have it. It begins when the blood sugar level begins to rise and when that occurs, your body will attain to remove all the excessive glucose by frequent urination. It will dehydrate your body and you will get quite thirsty.
Furthermore, when you are ill, you cannot rehydrate your body as much as you must. You may have problems keeping your fluids low, for instance. When you are not rehydrating your body, the blood sugar level carries on to increase and it can go quite high eventually so increasing that it will cause you to go into a coma. To lower hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome, you must keep an eye on the blood sugar level when you are ill (you must pay attention to the blood glucose level but pay close attention when you are ill). Talk or visit to your healthcare provider about experiencing a sick-day plan to follow.
- Long-term complication
By maintaining your blood sugar level in a moderate range by physical activity, meal planning and medications, you can try to avoid long-term complications of type 2 diabetes. These complications form over so many years and they can relate to how the blood sugar levels might affect your blood vessels. By that time, high blood sugar might harm the body’s blood vessels both large and tiny. It might also be harmful for your tiny blood vessels that lead to microvascular complications; harm to your large vessels that lead to macrovascular complications.
Microvascular complications
The small blood vessels that might be harmful by high blood sugar consistently by the time. The blood vessels damage does not provide blood as well as they must, so that it will lead to other conditions particularly with kidneys, eyes and nerves.
- Eyes: Blood sugar levels are not in range for a long time that might lead to retinopathy or cataracts in the eyes. Both that lead to vision loss. To reduce the eye problems that link with type 2 diabetes, maintain your blood sugar within range and have eye check-ups yearly that consist of a dilated examination of an eye with an eye specialist to examine your eye health.
- Nerves: Nerve damage might be caused by type 2 diabetes, it is also called as diabetic neuropathy. The small blood vessels nourish your nerves, so if your blood vessels are damaged then they will be damaged eventually as well. In type 2 diabetes, few people will show some symptoms of nerve damage while they are diagnosing.
- Kidneys: if these are left untreated, kidney disease (also known as diabetic nephropathy) because of the impairment of kidney functions, kidney transplant or dialysis. Uncontrollable (or poorly controllable) type 2 diabetes that leads to the kidneys to fail: they will not be able to purify the blood properly. To cure diabetic nephropathy, you must be tested each year for microalbuminuria, which is an early symptom of kidney disorders. The test examines how much protein level is present in the urine. This test is simply done by taking a sample of urine. When the kidneys start to have difficulties, they begin to release a lot of protein. Medications might be helpful in preventing more damage, once microalbuminuria is diagnosing. (16)