While there is currently no cure for diabetes, proper diabetes management can lead to improved outcomes. Individuals with diabetes can live long, normal lives if they manage their condition properly. When not managed properly, diabetes can lead to negative health outcomes that range from mild to severe. These outcomes can be classified as either acute or chronic.
When diabetes is not managed properly, a number of acute outcomes can occur. These conditions can be life threatening, but can also be reversed. They are mainly caused by poor monitoring of blood glucose levels, improper diet, or incorrect dosing of medication. Most diabetics will suffer from one of these conditions at some point in their life.
Diabetic ketoacidosis: This condition occurs when insulin levels become very low. The liver begins to take fat stored in the body and turn it into energy. Patients become dehydrated, fatigued, and are breathing very rapidly. This condition is much more common in patients with type I diabetes than those with type 2.
Hyperglycemia hypersmolar state: This condition occurs when blood glucose levels are very high. In this case, the kidneys begin to dump glucose into the urine. The body loses water and the patient can become dehydrated. If not treated promptly, the individual can slip into a coma and die. This condition is much more common in patients with type 2 diabetes than those with type I.
Hypoglycemia: This condition occurs when blood glucose levels become extremely low. Hypoglycemia often occurs when a patient receives insulin at the wrong time, is exercising, or has not had enough food. Patients are often treated with sugary drinks to help raise blood glucose levels.
A number of chronic outcomes are associated with diabetes. In many cases, the risk of an individual developing one of these conditions is dependent on a number of factors, including family history.
The most common chronic outcome is caused by the damage to the blood vessels that is caused by elevated blood glucose levels. Problems that develop from this include diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, stroke, and diabetic myonecrosis. As a result of these complications, patients with uncontrolled diabetes may go blind, have to have their feet amputated, or die.