Every now and then, patients with diabetes ask me: “Doctor, even though most of my blood sugar numbers are high, I feel good. I don’t understand why I should take all these pills and insulin injections.” This is a great question. The main reason to have control of your blood sugar (glucose) is to prevent complications of diabetes. Diabetes, during its early years, produces no major symptoms unless the blood sugar gets very high. Then, the person will make a lot of urine, become thirsty, and not feel well. This is true in all types of diabetes.
So, you may ask,“What are the complications we should prevent?”We classify diabetes complications into two categories:
1) Complications that damage small blood vessels in your body,Diabetes can damage small vessels in the eyes, nerves, and kidneys. These can lead to blindness, loss of sensation in hands and feet, and kidney failure. These complications are serious, and can have a very negative effect on a person’s well-being.,
2) Complications that damage the large blood vesselsnComplications that damage large blood vessels cause “hardening of the arteries” that feed your heart, brain, and body. These complications are also very serious and can lead to heart attack, stroke, loss of arms or legs, and even early death. It is important to know that all these complications can happen, even if you feel healthy.n
