What Organs Do Diabetes Affect? By Jamie Mazique Apr 8, 2012 The leading cause of many body disorders is none other than diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, over 8 percent of the U.S. population has this disease. It affect many body organs and the lack of blood sugar control is the reason behind this. Damaged organs can lead to life-threatening problems such as kidney disease, blindness, and other complications. Heart and Blood Vessels The heart and blood vessels (aka, the circulatory system) are responsible for delivering vitamins and nutrients throughout the body. When blood glucose levels are high, the increased sugar flows throughout the body and effects the vessels. High blood sugars causes plaque to build in the …show more content…
The presence of this large molecule in the urine suggest that the filter has been damaged allowing the large protein molecule to pass through. Scar tissue will form where the filter once was if untreated. This will result in the body retaining waste products, ultimately requiring dialysis to clean the blood of impurities. Sexual Organs A frequent first sign of diabetes is infections dealing with the sexual organs. Another really common problem is sexual dysfunction. The problems relate to both circulation and nerve damage. If the blood vessels supplying blood to the sexual organs are weaken, less blood flow can get to the sexual organs. Also if the nerves are damaged, signals of arousal and climax to the brain may not happen. Feet (Not an organ but is worth mentioning) Diabetic foot problems are extremely common. It is the leading cause of non-traumatic amputation in America. Diabetes affects the circulation and the nerve endings in the feet. Blood flow is limited if vessels supplying blood to the feet are damaged. If they become completely blocked, this can lead to gangrene where the tissue dies from a lack of blood flow. With damaged nerves, an person may experience numbness, tingling, or burning in their feet. If permanent damage happens, all sensation could be lost. This increases the risk for
They include: heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, nerves, gums and teeth. In regards to the heart and blood vessels, there are approximately 65% of death that is caused by diabetes due to major complication of heart disease and stroke. In the peripheral artery diseases diabetes also plays a major role in the cause of poor blood flow in the legs and feet. Many studies show that controlling diabetes can prevent or stop the progression of heart and blood vessel disease. Blood vessel damage or nerve damage may also lead to foot problems that can lead to amputations. More than 60% of leg and foot amputations not related to an injury are due to diabetes. Another complication of diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. There has been a number of eye problems that if not addressed can lead to eye blindness which include: glaucoma,cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Ninety percent of diabetic-related blindness as study shown could be prevented if there would be regular eye exams and timely treatment of diabetes-related eye problems. Furthermore, kidney failure is also one leading cause of further complication that resulted from uncontrolled diabetes in the U.S. It is said that drugs that help lower blood pressure can help the chance to developing kidney failure by 33%. Also diabetes on nerves can lead to loss of sensation or pain and burning of the feet because nerves are harmed due to over time high blood sugar levels. It can also
Those who are diabetic may also be in risk of blindness (diabetic retinopathy) and nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy). Diabetic neuropathy can lead to numbness in hands and feet, foot ulcers, and eventual limb amputation (World Health Organization). Taking preventive steps can help to avoid many of the complications of diabetes.
Most patients who have diabetes for an extended amount of time may end up with diabetic neuropathy, which is damage caused to the nerves; it affects the peripheral nerves, autonomic nerves, and focal nerves. From the high blood sugar, it can destroy parts of the patient’s blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. If diabetes is not treated, it will almost always cause heart disease or kidney disease.
Diabetic neuropathy can occur with long-term diabetes, usually after several years of uncontrolled high blood glucose. Glucose proteins, called glycoproteins, form in the nerves primarily those in the legs and feet. When the nerves in the feet are damaged, the brain cannot recognize pain in that area. Nerve damage from diabetic neuropathy can lead to weakness in the muscles in the legs and feet. Since the muscles work as a system, neuropathy can lead to other foot problems, such as hammertoes, calluses, bunions, and other foot deformities. These deformities are dangerous because of the risk of infection. A simple blister from a tight shoe can spell disaster
Diabetics have an insulin problem Diabetes is a result of insulin not performing its job correctly. Since insulin does more than remove glucose from the bloodstream, including producing proteins, storing fats, and other metabolic processes, diabetes can have severe consequences. If it is not treated properly diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, eye problems (including blindness), kidney failure, problems with teeth and gums, male sexual problems, nerve problems, and circulation problems. The circulation problems could result in foot or leg amputation (Reddy 2).
The heart, nerves, blood vessels, kidneys, eyes and other organs can be negatively impacted by uncontrolled diabetes. The goal is to keep the blood sugar normal most of the time to avoid these complications.
Diabetes is a disease that can lead to heart attacks, stroke, kidney failure, nerve damage, or blindness (Turkoski, 2006). It not only costs many individuals their lives, but it also causes untold emotional and physical problems for people with diabetes and their families. In addition, the cost of care associated with diabetes and the associated complications exceeds $132 billion annually.
Neuropathy. Nearly 70% of diabetics have some form of diabetic neuropathy. Symptoms of nerve damage include pain, tingling, or numbness in the legs, feet, arms, and hands. Nerve damage also occurs in other areas of the body, such as the heart, the digestive track, and in sexual organs. Neuropathies usually occur in
Excess of the blood glucose leads to the capillaries walls to thicken and so this makes it less permeable for nutrients to pass from the blood to the cells. To maintain the average amount of nutrients the capillary wall, undergoes high pressure this leads to high blood pressure. If you have diabetes then this eventually can lead to high blood sugar levels which damages your nerves and blood vessels in your leg. If the nerve is damaged then you may not feel any pain in those legs. Foot problems caused by damaged nerves and poor blood flow can later in the future lead to amputation.
Peripheral neuropathy is obviously one of the major complications of chronic diabetes, which affects the nerves and leads to loss of sensation, numbness, and pain in the legs, feet, or even hands. Sadly, peripheral neuropathy is likely to affect approximately 70% of people with diabetes. However, not all people who develop this type of complication experience serious pain.
Diabetes mellitus, or better known as Diabetes, is an endocrine system disorder. In this case, your body is unable to produce enough or any insulin at all. Insulin, produced by the pancreas, has a very important role. When sugar is ingested from food, it is turned into energy for the cells in our body. Without insulin, the transfer of sugar into the cells would be compromised. Insulin is also vital to keep the right balance of sugar in the bloodstream (Hess-Fischl, 2015). If too much insulin is produced, blood sugar levels are decreased resulting in hypoglycemia. Hyperglycemia occurs when the blood sugar levels are increased (Sargis, n.d.).
Sexual dysfunction is quite common in Diabetics because poorly controlled glucose levels damage both the blood vessels and the nerves resulting in reduced blood flow and possibly
Diabetes can cause harm to any organ of the body. Diabetic Retinopathy is an eye disease which cause damage to retina of eye due to diabetes. Similarly abnormalities caused by diabetes in kidneys is known as diabetic nefropathy and damage to nervous system is known as diabetic neuropathy. The diabetes is also a major risk factor in cardiovascular diseases. Diabetic retinopathy is a microvascular complication associated with diabetes, causing abnormalities in the retina. As this disease is associated with eye it affect the vision of person and in worstcase it cause blindness.
Prolonged excess blood glucose can result in many complications as the blood vessels are affected all over the body. Such a condition damages not only the kidneys, but even eyes and heart. Neuropathy, retinopathy, and cardiovascular disease are also other complications that affect many organs of the body. Consequently, the
This composition case study will discuss Diabetes Mellitus, and how it affects the body. Diabetes can cause organ failure, cause injuries to heal slowly and amputations.