Final answer:
Diabetes can lead to serious microvascular complications including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, and neuropathy. These are caused by damage to small blood vessels due to high blood sugar levels. Proper control and management of diabetes are vital to prevent these long-term health issues.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chronic Complications of Diabetes
When diabetes is not well-managed, high blood sugar levels can cause damage to small blood vessels, leading to a range of chronic microvascular complications. Over time, this damage increases the risk of various health issues, including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure (diabetic nephropathy), blindness (due to damage to the blood vessels in the retina), and neuropathy (loss of sensation, especially in the hands and feet).
Diabetic nephropathy, a progressive kidney disease, is one of the most common and serious complications. High levels of glucose in the blood over a prolonged period can injure the kidney's glomeruli, leading to symptoms like severe tiredness, frequent urination, and itchy skin. Similarly, diabetic neuropathy presents as numbness, tingling, and pain in the extremities due to nerve damage. In some cases, diabetes also leads to metabolic acidosis, such as ketoacidosis, which can be life-threatening if untreated.
Proper monitoring and control are essential. Risk factors that exacerbate these complications include poor blood glucose control, high blood pressure, smoking, and obesity. Prevention and treatment of diabetes include eating a healthy diet, engaging in regular exercise, maintaining a normal body weight, and in some cases, requiring insulin injections.