A diabetic coma is a serious, life-threatening complication of diabetes in which the patient falls into a state of unconsciousness. It constitutes a medical emergency if left untreated, since it may result in permanent brain damage or death, as MayoClinic.com notes. Death rates can be as high as 50 percent. A diabetic coma occurs mainly due to severe and constant fluctuations in the patient's blood sugar level. There are also several other causes and attendant symptoms associated with diabetic coma.
Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to a host of complications. The physical side effects that occur can affect your ability to perform various exercises. Diabetic complications can adversely affect your eyes, feet, ears, heart and ...
Glucose provides the body with energy, and aids in cell growth. Your body requires insulin to transfer the glucose to cells. If your body cannot produce enough insulin, blood sugar levels build, resulting in diabetes. Left unco...
In diabetes, the levels of glucose, a type of simple sugar, in the blood are too high. Diabetes is associated with a number of long-term complications, among which is damage to the blood vessels. The high blood sugar of poorly ...
Diabetes is a condition that is caused by the body not making enough insulin or not responding properly to it. Type 2 diabetes, which tends to occur later in life, can often be treated using certain medications. However, these ...
The diabetic stomach is a term used to describe some complications that occur in the digestive system of people with diabetes. Delayed emptying of the stomach and nerve damage cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms related to t...
If not well controlled, diabetes has adverse effects on many body systems, including cardiovascular and neurological. Either cardiovascular or neurological problems can result in mild or severe memory problems. In addition, unc...
All of the organs in the body are supplied by blood, meaning that people with diabetes may experience symptoms or complications in almost any organ. The eye is one organ commonly affected by diabetes. In the United States, diab...
Diabetes occurs when certain cells in the pancreas do not produce enough insulin, a hormone involved in the process of proteins, fats and sugars necessary to store and produce energy. Type 1 diabetes, usually diagnosed in child...
In the United States 42 percent of the diabetes population is over the age of 65, reports the journal "Clinical Diabetes." By the year 2050, this proportion is expected to increase to up to 58 percent. In addition to the same c...
Insulin and some other medications along with lifestyle changes are used to manage this disease and the goal of care in diabetes is to keep blood sugar levels close to normal. Uncontrolled diabetes can led to serious complicati...
Diabetes medications either replace insulin that is not produced or stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin or enhance insulin sensitivity in the body's tissues. While these medications are beneficial in treating diabetes, pa...
More than 23 million Americans have diabetes, accounting for 7.8% of the population, according to the American Diabetes Association. Many complications arise from diabetes, including an increased risk of developing bone and joi...
Diabetes is a major risk factor for development of atherosclerosis, though the mechanism by which it does so is unclear. According to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine," complications of atherosclerosis are the leadin...
Diabetes that is not managed correctly can lead to serious complications. This includes blindness, heart disease, amputations and infections. Poorly controlled blood sugar can also cause a diabetic coma. The good news is that b...
Complications from diabetes are primarily caused when too much blood sugar, also known as glucose, damages the blood vessels over time. Complications of uncontrolled blood sugar are preventable, and their progression can be slo...
In the case of diabetes, blood sugar levels can get too high if this disease is not managed properly. High levels of glucose in the blood can cause damage to many areas of the body including the heart, eyes and nerves. All of t...
The body then releases insulin from the pancreas to help the glucose enter the cells in the body and be used as energy.
When an individual suffers from diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin or cannot use the insul...
Gestational diabetes is diabetes that begins during pregnancy. It can cause high blood sugar, which in turn can affect the baby. A healthy pregnancy is possible if the diabetes is managed properly during the pregnancy. Accordin...
Chronic forms of diabetes include type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes may affect women temporarily, during pregnancy. According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes increases a person's risk for various c...
Diabetic shock, also known as insulin shock, occurs when the amount of blood sugar, or glucose, in the body drops too low for proper body and brain function. Diabetes is a disease in which the pancreas does not produce effectiv...
The care plan depends on several factors, notes Dr. Renée L. Schiff in the January 2003 issue of Medical Clinics of North America. The type of diabetes, status of control, medication regimen and type of surgery must be c...
The microvascular complications of diabetes are caused by a reduction in blood supply to organs. As diabetes progresses, the blood vessels in the body are weakened by the persistent elevation of blood glucose. The weakened vess...
These complications are typically rare, and millions of operations are performed each year without major complications. But the story for diabetics may be different. In a 2010 study published by the American Diabetes Associa...
Vision problems are one of the most common complications of diabetes. The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely he will develop a complication with his eyes. Although total blindness is rare and occurs in less than 2% o...
Diabetes is a disease that often impacts overall health. It can cause many different kinds of health complications. Uncontrolled blood sugar levels will increase the risk that diabetes will cause health complications.
According to The National Diabetes Education Program, as of 2010 there are 18.2 million people with diabetes in the United States. The Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh reports that diabetes is one of the leading causes ...
A study in the journal Diabetic Medicine reported that 15 percent of type 2 diabetics who are treated with insulin experience severe hypoglycemia. The incidence of severe hypoglycemia is higher in type 1 diabetics. A review art...
This is roughly four times higher than complications due to heart disease alone. The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse suggests that eating a balanced diet, getting exercise, taking medications regularly, proper diabe...
Without insulin, glucose can't enter cells where it's needed to supply energy, and levels of glucose in the bloodstream rises, a condition called hyperglycemia. Undiagnosed diabetes in children causes serious complications, som...
A person with diabetes is at a greatly increased risk of cardiovascular complications compared to someone without diabetes. "Medical-Surgical Nursing" reports that around 80 percent of all people with diabetes will die of cardi...
Oral complications frequently occur in a person suffering from diabetes. Both type 1 and type 2 diabetics may suffer from a variety of complications leading to tooth loss and life-threatening infections. The higher a person's b...
Sensory loss gradually progresses over time; symptoms are not immediately noticeable to most diabetics. Nerve damage appears in every organ of the body, though each patient experiences sensory loss differently. Diabetic-related...
Nearly 23.6 million Americans, or 7.8 percent of the population, suffer from the disease. Mismanagement of the disease results in the diabetic experiencing severe complications, some life threatening. Some complications appear ...
People with diabetes are at high risk of eye complications, from minor to severe, reports the Diabetes Teaching Center at the University of California, San Francisco. A severe complication of diabetes is blindness; however, mos...
Diabetes is the No. 1 cause of chronic kidney disease as well as end-stage renal disease, or ESRD, or kidney failure. According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, almost 44 percent of all ca...
The pancreas is unable to produce insulin in required quantities, which is necessary for keeping the blood glucose level under check. Alternatively, the body is ineffective in completely utilizing the insulin that is produced. ...
Diabetes is a systemic disease characterized by increased blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia. It causes damage to many of the body's organs including the eye. Effects increase with age as the damage accumulates. According...
Diabetes complications occur primarily due to deleterious changes in the blood vessels caused by long-standing hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). Complications due to abnormalities in the smallest blood vessels--the capillaries-...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), diabetes ranks among the top ten causes of disability in the U.S. adult population. Furthermore, diabetes is implicated in at least three other major causes of ...
The high levels of blood sugar and fats seen in diabetes adversely affects several organ systems, leading to health complications. These health complications are best avoided by blood glucose control and close monitoring by a c...
The complications from diabetes can be devastating. Once the diagnosis of diabetes is made, rigorous actions are undertaken to control the excessive levels of blood glucose. Complications can be avoided if patients comply with ...
This allows your doctor to have an overall picture of blood glucose control for the past 3 to 4 months, which is the average lifespan of a red blood cell. Chronic high blood glucose, as identified by A1C, is a risk factor for a...
more than $174 billion in direct and indirect costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). With more than 7.8 percent of the U.S. population affected, this manageable disease is a major health concern. Preventativ...
When you have diabetes for many years, you can develop a host of long-term complications that impact your quality of life. Working with your doctor to maintain good control of your diabetes is important, and you should be monit...
A diabetic coma is a life-threatening complication affecting people with type I or type II diabetes. Diabetic comas are typically caused by complications from either extremely high or low blood sugar levels. Careful management ...
More diabetics are able to successfully carry pregnancies to term today, due to improved treatment of blood sugar before and during pregnancy. Yet some complications are still common in diabetic deliveries. Diabetic mothers nee...
Type II diabetes occurs in adulthood, may be associated with obesity, and can often be managed by diet or oral medications. There are many complications of diabetes; all are potentially serious.
Diabetics have to face the possibility of developing atherosclerosis, hypertension, kidney failure, amputations, blindness and coma. They have high amounts of glucose in their blood, a condition called hyperglycemia. And eithe...
Damage to the kidneys, the organs that are responsible for filtering 200 qt. of blood a day, to remove waste, according to the NKUDIC, results in a variety of complications.
The result is a build-up of glucose that passes out of the body via urine. Without glucose, the body's main source of fuel, systems throughout the body function improperly. Treatment for diabetes generally includes exercise, pr...
Although women who are Type 1 diabetics have babies with the most complications, newborns born to moms with Type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes can also have problems.
Proper management of diabetes can greatly lower the number of serious complications. Many Americans suffer life-threatening complications of diabetes before they even realize they have it. All adults should have their blood glu...
Almost 8 percent of the population within the United States has some form of diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even if you have your diabetes under control, you may develop a number of eye c...
When a patient who has diabetes has surgery, her diabetes makes her more susceptible to certain complications. Wounds may not heal properly and wound infections are more common. Elevations in blood sugar levels may require more...
Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney disease, according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Kidneys are responsible for filtering waste products out of the blood and keeping proteins i...
With diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin to use the sugar that we consume in or diets. As a result, people with diabetes have to administer their own insulin. Because insulin needs vary by individual, and even by...
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas and it assists the body in utilizing glucose. High blood glucose (blood sugar) readings can cause complications from nerve damage to kidney and heart disease. In Type 1 Diabetes, al...
More than 40 percent of patients with kidney failure also have diabetes. Normally, the kidney helps the body excrete the waste products from protein metabolism. In the early stages of kidney disease, the filtering unit of the ...