How many of you suffer from diabetes? Diabetes is not a terminal illness alone as it can be easily managed through the right combination of exercise, diet, and medication. Moreover, people who live with diabetes can easily lead to a long and healthy life if they choose the right combination.
However, if diabetes is poorly managed or if you suffer from other medical problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or if you are a smoker, certain complications can occur.
Aging adults are at higher risk of diabetes complications because they often suffer from multiple medical problems. Diabetes is often seen as a risk factor for a number of serious complications among seniors.
What are the Diabetes Complications?
Some of the common diabetes complications include but are not limited to:
- Kidney Disease
When you are diabetic, your blood sugar levels can spike. High blood sugar levels can damage the kidneys leading to chronic kidney disease. If left untreated for a long time, chronic kidney disease can accelerate to kidney failure.
- Stroke or Heart Disease
Seniors with diabetes are twice as likely to experience heart disease or a stroke as compared to seniors without diabetes.
- Amputations
If diabetes neuropathy is not caught on time and treated, it can quickly lead to infections in the legs and feet that may require the senior to undergo amputation.
- Diabetic Retinopathy
Untreated diabetes can sometimes cause damage to the blood vessels in the back of the eyes also called diabetic retinopathy. Early symptoms of this complication include blurry vision, dark areas of vision, difficulty in perceiving colors, and floaters. If not treated for a long time, it can lead to blindness.
- Neuropathy
Another complication called neuropathy occurs when nerve damage is caused by high blood sugar levels. It can lead to numbness and pain which ultimately affects a person’s mobility. Neuropathy often affects the feet and legs but can even cause complications with heart, digestion, and blood vessels.
Diabetes complications often develop slowly without any noticeable symptoms. Thus, the best way to avoid diabetic complications is to keep up with your annual checkups.
If it is difficult for you to travel to the doctor’s clinic, you can choose to call the doctor to your home.
Utah Doctors At Home aims at bringing back the concept of “Family Doctor”. Get the highest level of customized medical services in the comfort of your home by a team of skilled physicians, nurse practitioners, and healthcare professionals.
With Utah Doctors At Home, you will receive the highest level of care, which includes everything you will receive from a traditional doctor’s office except it is more convenient and you receive more personalized attention and additional one-on-one time with the doctor. You will eliminate the hassle of traveling to see your doctor and inconveniencing family and friends to take you. There is no sitting in the waiting room or dealing with the aggravation of remembering to bring prescriptions or paperwork with you.
Schedule your no-obligation in-home medical assessment with professional doctors. Call (385) 247-0050 to learn more.