Are there any long term side effects of diabetes?

by Fredi
(Canada)

QUESTION: My mother has been diagnosed with diabetes since 10 years now, and I'm worried about her health. She's trying a lot to lower her blood sugar levels, but still they are near high levels.

Also I've heard about the long term side effects of diabetes, could you please tell me what are they. My mother should control in a better way her diabetes, but till now not very good.

What are the chances she will suffer any long term side effects?


ANSWER: Hi Fredi,

You have to know that there are several diabetic complications and every patient with diabetes develops them in future. However, no one is able to establish, when certain patient will get some of the complications and which one will it get.

The only thing, which is sure, is that if the patient control his blood glucose level well, the complications are going to develop in the distant future.

  • Regarding the complications, I will mention some of them, but you have to know that there are many other of them.

    1. First of all, most diabetics are suffering from retinopathy, during which the patient progressively losses his/her vision.

    2. The second most popular complication is diabetic neuropathy. During this condition the patient losses sensitivity for hot, cold, touch and others. The loss of sensitivity is observed mainly on the feet.

    3. Other very popular diabetic complication is the infections development. Such infections can develop everywhere on the body, but most of them are characterized by rush, itching and sometimes pain. As a consequence, wounds are appearing and these wounds are healing very difficult.

    4. There are several other complications, which are observed in diabetic patients, but the only way for your mother to avoid them is to find the best way to control her blood glucose level.

    I will suggest you to make a consultation with her doctor for therapy adjustments. Besides this, it would be great for her to start following low-carb diet, which will help her with the glucose concentration problems.

    Important thing is that several herbs like gymnema sylvestre, bitter melon and cinnamon are applied on such patients, which leads to improvement of the glucose metabolism.

    Hope it helped!


    Dr.Alba

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