In its early stages, diabetes has less profound health effects. As you age and become more and more insulin-resistant, however, your body may start to have more and more adverse health effects which can range from mildly annoying to life-threatening. Managing your diabetes and rigorously following through with a good treatment program will help, but it is important to accept that some health problems happen even to diabetics who live healthy lives so that you can prepare yourself and your family emotionally and financially.

Kidney failure

In 2005, 43.8% of new cases of kidney failurewere due to diabetes. That means that out of nearly 24 million diabetics, 180,000 had kidney failure. Though it can be caused by many things, in diabetics kidney failure is caused by the kidneys being unable to handle the increased sugar levels in the blood. This is why diabetics’ urine can smell like fruit: It literally has so much sugar that the sugar masks the normal ammonia-like odor.

Loss of limbs

Over 50% of limb amputations in the United States are due to diabetes, but diabetics make up less than 1/12th of the population. But what causes it?

Artery damage…

Damage to the arteries, which is directly caused by high glucose levels, makes it difficult for blood to circulate throughout the body, especially to extremities. As a result, diabetics often lose fingers and toes before they lose the rest of their limb.

…combined with other risk factors

According to Julie K Silver, MD from Harvard Medical School, “People with diabetes are more likely than other people to develop high blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol.” When people with these risk factors also have damaged arteries, what would already be poor blood circulation is amplified.

Blindness

Diabetics can go blind in a variety of ways. The National Eye Institute identifies three key ways that diabetics can go blind:

Diabetic retinopathy

In some diabetics, the eye’s blood vessels can swell and burst, which causes blood to leak into the eye. In others, the retina, the part of your eye that absorbs light, can become less sensitive. Diabetic retinopathy gets progressively worse and afflicts between 40% and 45% of diabetics; the early stages are painless so make sure to get an eye exam more often than non-diabetics.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is where people’s optic nerves become damaged. In diabetics, it is often caused by late-stage diabetic retinopathy.

Cataracts

Cataracts in people with diabetes are pretty much like how they are in other people, but they develop earlier. Surgical removal of the lens of the effected eye (sometimes the lens capsule is also removed) is commonly used to deal with cataracts.

Prevention

All of these ailments can be prevented in the same way: Keep your blood sugar level as close to normal as possible. Diabetics who do this are less likely to lose limbs, less likely to have kidney failure, and less likely to go blind than other diabetics. That means taking your insulin shots on the dot even if you know you can wait an hour before you start feeling like your insulin level is low.

About the author: The author Murray Newlands and his company Influence People do blog relations work with Diabetes Resource Page.