BANGALORE: Debilitating and often the cause for chronic indebtedness, diabetes causes untold suffering among patients leading to complications that sometimes lead to death.

Keeping your blood glucose level under control is fundamental to healthy life and longevity. For, varying sugar levels can eventually lead to renal failure, blindness, amputation and even cardiac arrest.

Irrational management of diabetes may lead to loss of productivity among the suffering patients besides causing financial strain on the family.

A large number of patients cannot afford the high cost involved in management of complications.

While certain complications are reversible if treated early, others get more complicated and are irreversible.

Renal problems

Chronic diabetes (15 years or more after onset) can lead to kidney failure. Diabetes is the most common cause of chronic kidney failure. Diabetic Nephropathy is also known as Kimmesstiel-Wilson Syndrome. Poor control of their blood pressure causes greatest rate of progression in kidney failure once the syndrome sets in.

According to Sudarshan Ballal, Director of Manipal Institute of Nephrology, symptoms of kidney diseases are not detected early as many do not get their kidney functions checked on regular basis.

On the rising number of diabetic patients suffering from kidney failure, he said: "The actual increase in the disease is due to increased awareness among the diabetic patients. Kidney diseases, if detected early, can be reversible or even stabilised."

Eyes

Chronic diabetics can lose eyesight. Early diagnosis is the key to maintain eyesight among the diabetes, as they are prone to diseases known as glaucoma and retinopathy, which can lead to blindness. The longer a person has diabetes, the higher the risk of developing some eye-related problem. Regular eye-screening helps prevent some damage.

Persons suffering from glaucoma have high intra-ocular pressure that can damage optic nerves leading to blindness. Diabetic Retinopathy often has no early warning signs.

Blood vessels bleed and create spots that blur vision. Consultant eye surgeon Arun Samprathi said: "Initially, it may not be severe, but greater leakage of blood can later blur the vision. The damage may be irreversible."

Foot

Diabetic neuropathy, which affects peripheral nervous system and mainly affects foot, affects sensation there. The injuries in the region take unnaturally more time to heal or do not heal if ignored. This is the most common complication among diabetics and it is a greatest source of mortality. One in every five diabetics suffers from it. It causes more than half of the all non-traumatic amputations (amputation done before gangrene affects is called non-traumatic amputation). Duration of diabetes, age, smoking, hypertension and height are also risk factors for diabetic neuropathy. The main risk factor for neuropathy is high blood glucose level.

According to A.S. Vijaya of Diabetic Foot Care Division at Jain Institute of Vascular Sciences, a very large segment of non-urban diabetics are manual workers belonging to lower economic strata of the society and are single breadwinners for the entire family. "The economic impact of diabetic foot ulcers is quite huge in context with earning capacity of this population. With poor prosthetic support for amputee, rehabilitation remains a mirage for many of them," she added.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail