Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, and the fifth leading cause of death from disease. Nearly 20 million Americans are affected, 6 million of whom are unaware. With new cases being diagnosed at the alarming rate of 1.2 million per year, a proper understanding of the disease is imperative in the fight to prevent potential long-term effects involving virtually all of the body’s organs. Complications of diabetes include:

Blindness
Each year 12,000 to 24,000 people lose their sight as a result of diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness in people 20 to74 years of age.

Kidney Disease
10 to 21 percent of people with diabetes will develop kidney disease. Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a condition where the patient requires dialysis or a kidney transplant in order to live. Diabetes accounts for 40 percent of new ESRD cases each year.

Heart Disease and Stroke
People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have heart disease (more than 77,000 deaths are due to heart disease annually). Heart disease death rates are also two to four times higher among diabetics than adults without diabetes. Furthermore, people with diabetes are two to four times more likely to suffer a stroke.

Nerve Disease/Amputations
Approximately 60 to70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of diabetic nerve damage, which in extreme cases can lead to lower limb amputations. Diabetes is the most frequent cause of non-traumatic lower limb amputations. The risk of a leg amputation is 15 to 40 times greater for a person with diabetes. Each year, over 56,000 people lose a foot or leg to diabetes.

Impotence
Some 13 percent of men diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and 8 percent of men who have type 2 diabetes are afflicted with impotence, due to diabetic neuropathy or blood vessel blockage.

Nephropathy
The presence of diabetic nephropathy is a significant risk marker for cardiovascular disease. Once clinical albuminuria occurs, the risk for ESRD is high for those with type 1 diabetes and significant in cases of type 2 diabetes. If untreated, hypertension can hasten the progression of renal disease. A number of interventions have been demonstrated to retard the initial development or rate of progression of renal disease. Quantitative microalbumin testing plays a major role in early detection.

Cardiovascular Disease
People with diabetes have a high rate of macrovascular disease and those with the disease have a high mortality rate. This complication of diabetes is thought to be due to high levels of lipids and to other biological factors intrinsic to diabetes. High lipid levels are modifiable risk factors and should be monitored. Other correctable contributing risk factors include hypertension, obesity, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, dyslipidemia, and poorly regulated diabetes. The daily intake of aspirin has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes.

As the rates of diagnosis continue to rise, Diabetes and its complications demand an increasing percentage of healthcare expenditures annually. Prevention and maintenance stand hand in hand as the most effective tools to reduce the damage and restrict the reach of this complex and potentially fatal disease. Contact our specialists at the Coast Plaza Diabetes Treatment Program at (562) 868-3751, extension 2062 or (562) 929-2777 to minimize the effect diabetes has on you.

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