Type 2 Diabetes Complications
Type 2 diabetes is referred to as non-insulin dependent diabetes. In majority of the cases, type 2 diabetes is preventable, but its prevalence is on rise. If you are suffering from type 2 diabetes, it means your body becomes resistant to the actions of insulin, a bodily hormone responsible for the regulation of sugar absorption in the body. Type 2 diabetes can not be diagnosed in early stages as it comes with fewer complications, however, as it progresses - it brings several complications along with.
Type 2 diabetes complications can be categorized under two sub-headings - short term complications and long term complications. For short term complications for diabetes type 2, it needs immediate care. Left untreated, these types of diabetes complications may even lead to coma, eventually death. Long term complications of diabetes type 2 develop gradually on time. These types of diabetes complications depend on a wide variety of factors such as onset of the disease, inability of control blood sugar level, etc.
Short Term
The major short term type 2 diabetes complications are high blood pressure or hyperglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycemia. Your blood pressure level may increase at any time due to several reasons such as excess food consumption, other illnesses or inadequate administration of glucose-lowering drugs. Since the body becomes resistant to insulin, the energy production process gets severely hampered. At this time, body may start breaking fat content. During this process, toxic acids, known as ketones, are produced. This condition is known as diabetic ketoacidosis.
Long Term
The long term diabetes complications of type 2 take long time to develop. However, in most of the cases, these diabetes complications can be disabling and even fatal. These diabetes complications are heart and blood vessel disease, nerve damage or neuropathy, kidney damage or nephropathy, eye damage, foot damage, skin and mouth disorders, osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease. Diabetes basically heightens the risk of developing coronary health complications to a greater extent. Excess accumulation of sugar may harm the soft walls of the tiny capillaries or blood vessels that protect the nerves.
Diabetes can heighten the risk of kidney failure by damaging the filtering system of the kidney cells, leading to irreversible and progressive kidney disease. Diabetic retinopathy is also one of the most common long term diabetes complications mostly prevalent in type 2 diabetes. Nerve damage as a result of diabetes may lead to develop various foot complications. If it is left untreated, it may lead to leg amputation. Individuals with type 2 diabetes are at higher risk for developing Alzheimer's disease.
