The Complications


  • Long-term complications of diabetes develop gradually. The longer you have diabetes — and the less controlled your blood sugar — the higher the risk of complications. 
  • Eventually, diabetes complications may be disabling or even life-threatening. 
  • Possible complications include:
    • Cardiovascular disease. Diabetes dramatically increases the risk of various cardiovascular problems, including coronary artery disease with chest pain (angina), heart attack, stroke and narrowing of arteries (atherosclerosis). 
      • If you have diabetes, you are more likely to have heart disease or stroke.
    • Nerve damage (neuropathy). 
      • Excess sugar can injure the walls of the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that nourish your nerves, especially in your legs. 
      • This can cause tingling, numbness, burning or pain that usually begins at the tips of the toes or fingers and gradually spreads upward. 
      • Left untreated, you could lose all sense of feeling in the affected limbs. 
      • Damage to the nerves related to digestion can cause problems with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation. 
      • For men, it may lead to erectile dysfunction.
    • Kidney damage (nephropathy). 
      • The kidneys contain millions of tiny blood vessel clusters (glomeruli) that filter waste from your blood.
      • Diabetes can damage this delicate filtering system.
      • Severe damage can lead to kidney failure or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, which may require dialysis or a kidney transplant.
    • Eye damage (retinopathy). 
      • Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina (diabetic retinopathy), potentially leading to blindness. 
      • Diabetes also increases the risk of other serious vision conditions, such as cataracts and glaucoma.
    • Foot damage. 
      • Nerve damage in the feet or poor blood flow to the feet increases the risk of various foot complications.
      • Left untreated, cuts and blisters can develop serious infections, which often heal poorly. 
      • These infections may ultimately require toe, foot or leg amputation.
    • Skin conditions. 
      • Diabetes may leave you more susceptible to skin problems, including bacterial and fungal infections.
    • Hearing impairment. 
      • Hearing problems are more common in people with diabetes.
    • Alzheimer’s disease. 
      • Type 2 diabetes may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. 
      • The poorer your blood sugar control, the greater the risk appears to be. 
      • Although there are theories as to how these disorders might be connected, none has yet been proved.
    • Complications of gestational diabetes.
      • Most women who have gestational diabetes deliver healthy babies. 
      • However, untreated or uncontrolled blood sugar levels can cause problems for you and your baby.