Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : November 15, 2019 7:08 PM IST
If you have uncontrolled diabetes, it may cause a blockage of blood vessels or inflammation and clot in blood vessels of the muscles. © Shutterstock
According to the World Health Organisation, 'diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces'. Insulin is basically a hormone that is responsible for the regulation of sugar in your blood. The pancreas produce this hormone. A high blood sugar level is the result of diabetes. If left untreated, it can cause serious health complications and affect the nerves and blood vessels. This premier organisation also says that, in the year 2016, diabetes was the direct cause of 1.6 million deaths globally. An awareness of the lesser known complications of diabetes may be able to bring down the figures.
Symptoms of diabetes are usually an increase in hunger and thirst, weight loss, a burning feeling in feet, frequent urination, blurry vision and fatigue. You may also notice that your injuries and sores take a long time to heal. Another indication of diabetes is recurring infections. If you are a woman, you may be prone to urinary tract infections, yeast infections and dry, itchy skin in addition to the above symptoms. Diabetic men may experience poor muscle strength and a decrease in their sex drive. Erectile dysfunction is another symptom that men may face.
Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to easily preventable and serious health conditions like heart diseases, kidney problems, eye diseases, stroke, dental issues and nerve damage. These are all serious disorders that can causes long term complications. But this disease also has a few complications that many people are not aware of. Let us take a look at a few lesser known complications of diabetes.
One of the lesser-known complications of diabetes is hearing loss. This is especially true for diabetics who are between the ages of 50 69 years. This happens because diabetes damages the blood vessels and the nerves and specialized cells of the inner ear. It may also cause hardening of the internal auditory artery besides damaging the protective covering of the cochlear nerve, causing the degeneration of the spiral ganglion and leading to the loss of hair cells or the sensory receptors in the inner ear.
According to researchers from the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 'there is compelling evidence that diabetes can damage the auditory system, and that clinicians should include hearing testing in managing type 2 diabetes'. This is published in the journal Current Diabetes Reports.
Diabetes may cause changes in the cognitive ability of a person. This may be due to the fact that this condition causes changes in the small and large blood vessels. Because of these changes, there is a decrease in the flow of blood to the brain. This contributes to dementia. According to a study published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, type 2 diabetes has an association with a decline in verbal memory and fluency over five years in older people. This study was by researchers at the University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, and Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Another study at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) says that 'those with diabetic foot complications remember less, have decreased concentration, difficulty with learning, decreased inhibition, slower cognitive and psychomotor responses and decreased verbal fluency'. Researchers say that this implies that diabetic patients with diabetic foot complication suffer cognitive difficulties 'above and beyond those known in the general diabetic population'.
According to researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and the Boston University School of Medicine, the inflammatory molecule TNF-alpha may contribute to delayed bone fracture healing in diabetics. They say that 'diabetic patients often experience low bone density. This has an association with an increase in the risk of bone fractures and delay in fracture repair'. They came to this conclusion after seeing rapid loss of cartilage in the healing bones of mice. This loss was due to an increase in the number of osteoclasts, cells that remove bone and cartilage. Researchers say that factors that stimulate osteoclast formation were regulated by both TNF- and a downstream mediator, FOXO1. This is published in the American Journal of Pathology.
Therefore, another lesser known complication of diabetes may be osteoporosis. If you have osteoporosis, your bones become fragile and brittle and more prone to breakage.
If you have uncontrolled diabetes, it may cause a blockage of blood vessels or inflammation and clot in blood vessels of the muscles. This leads to a decrease in the flow of blood to the muscles. Over time, this can cause muscles death. However, this condition is extremely rare. But if you are diabetic and you experience sudden muscle pain, consult a doctor immediately. If there is swelling and redness in the muscle, you may need surgical intervention.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania say that 'people with diabetes are susceptible to periodontitis, a gum infection that can result in tooth loss'. They say that this could be because high blood sugar levels can trigger changes in the oral microbiome that enhance inflammation and increase the risk of bone loss. This was published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.
Periodontitis, a bacterial gum disease, damages the soft tissue and destroys the bone that supports your teeth. It often leads to tooth loss. In fact, bacteria can enter your bloodstream through your gum tissue and affect your lungs, heart and other parts of your body. This can trigger a cycle of inflammation with serious adverse health implications.
