Long Term Complications
Serious complications can develop after many years of living with diabetes. The risk of these complications can be reduced or completely eliminated by constantly striving for the best possible diabetes control.
Diabetes can cause
On a daily basis, you should focus mainly on dealing with the ups and downs of your blood sugar, that is hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia. However, diabetes has a third dimension: long-term complications.
Long term complications
People who have had diabetes for several years, may develop problems with their eyes, kidneys, nerves and feet. People with diabetes are also more susceptible to heart and blood vessel problems, such as elevated blood pressure, heart disease and strokes. These problems are called long-term complications.
Causes of complications
The development of diabetes complications depends on how long you've had diabetes and on the quality of your diabetes control has been. Keeping your blood sugar under tight control helps to prevent or delay complications. However, some people are just more susceptible to long-term complications than others.
Prevent complications
There are lots of things you can do to prevent or delay long-term complications. The most important is to keep your diabetes under good control.
Visit the diabetes clinic
Visit the diabetes clinic regularly and use your diabetes care team! Have your eyes and feet checked regularly. Get urine tests for microalbuminuria to check your kidneys. Make sure your blood pressure is tested regularly, along with your cholesterol level. If you need medications, such as an antihypertensive, take them as advised by your doctor. Always consult your doctor or another member of your diabetes care team, if you have any diabetes related problems.
APP/KOL/AC 22/02/07