Take control of your diabetes

Why is it important to control diabetes and keep blood glucose in a healthy range?

When you control your diabetes and keep your blood glucose in a healthy range – you considerably decrease your risk of developing diabetes related health problems.

Not sure if it’s worth the trouble? Before we explore how to control your diabetes…let’s take a look at why control is so important. If left untreated, unhealthy levels of glucose in the blood can cause serious damage to many parts of your body.

Your Heart and Blood Vessels
Diabetes doubles the risk of heart disease. People with diabetes have many risk factors for heart disease. These include high blood pressure, obesity and high amounts of fats and cholesterol in their blood. Cigarette smoking adds an additional risk. Blood vessel damage caused by high glucose levels and high blood pressure can also lead to poor circulation in legs and feet.

Your Eyes
A major risk to your eyes when you have diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. Retinopathy means there is damage to the tissue at the back of the eye. Diabetes can lead to changes in the tiny vessels in the retina. When blood glucose and blood pressure are too high, the tiny blood vessels may swell and leak fluid. Diabetic Retinopathy is a serious condition that can lead to blindness. It is estimated that one-third of the 2 million Canadians who have diabetes actually have diabetic retinopathy. It is the most common cause of blindness under age 65 and the most common cause of new blindness in North America.

Your Kidneys
Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to (nephropathy) or kidney disease. The kidneys have a complex network of small blood vessels that filter waste from the blood and send it out of the body in the urine. When blood glucose and blood pressure are too high, the small blood vessels can become damaged and not filter properly. If the kidneys fail, the blood must be filtered by a dialysis machine or by a kidney transplant.

Your Feet
High blood glucose levels can damage the blood vessels that supply nourishment and oxygen to your feet. High blood glucose can also damage the nerves in the feet causing a loss of feeling (neuropathy). When the nerves in the foot are not working properly, many normal sensations like pain, heat, cold or pressure are not there. Without the normal warning system, you may not know if your feet are in trouble. Pressure, rubbing, cuts or injuries that go unnoticed can lead to injury, serious infections, and even amputations. It is estimated that 4-10% of people with diabetes develop foot ulcers.

Your Teeth
Without regular dental care, diabetes can lead to an increase in teeth and gum problems. If there is a loss of feeling in the mouth, cavities, infections or gum disease can go unnoticed and worsen. Decreased circulation may lead to delayed healing and dryness in the mouth.

Your Skin
Diabetes can affect your skin. Dry skin occurs more often with diabetes. Damage to small blood vessels and to small nerves can promote dry skin and its complications. Dryness, cracks and itching can worsen and potentially lead to infection. Currently, rough, dry and scaly skin affects about 75% of people with diabetes over the age of 64.

Sexual Difficulty
Uncontrolled diabetes may lead to nerve damage that can cause sexual dysfunction (impotence). If maintaining an erect penis is difficult, you may have erectile dysfunction (ED). You are not alone…it is thought that as many as 45% of men with diabetes suffers from ED.

Women can also experience sexual difficulty. A common complaint is vaginal dryness, often resulting in painful intercourse. Women with diabetes can experience more frequent vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina) and yeast infections, both of which have a negative impact on the sex drive.

In the Planning for a Healthy Future section you will find information on what you can do to delay or even prevent these complications. If you now have a diabetes-related complication, early diagnosis and treatment can be very effective. If you have any questions, talk to a member of your diabetes team!

There is good news for people who have diabetes – research has proven that keeping blood glucose levels close to normal helps to slow down and prevent complications.