Serious Health Problems That Are Linked to Diabetes

If you’ve been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, you’re probably trying to get your blood sugar under control. 

You may have been significantly overweight for some time. At least 9 in 10 diabetes patients are overweight or obese. As you probably guessed, diabetes is closely linked with excess body fat. 

At Turnquest Surgical Solutions, our board-certified bariatric surgeons, Dexter Turnquest, MD, and Victoria C. Chang, MD, offer weight loss surgery for many patients with diabetes. Our team can help you lose the extra pounds and live a healthier life. 

If you haven’t been successful in your own attempts, weight loss surgery provides a de facto solution. 

Having diabetes places you at increased risk for a number of adverse health events and conditions. Knowing your risks can help you firm up your commitment to lose the extra pounds. 

Following are some of the major health complications that can arise from having Type 2 diabetes. 

Heart disease and stroke

When you have diabetes, you’re twice as likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke than people who don’t have it. Diabetes damages your blood vessels. 

In addition, your arteries are more likely to have fatty deposits sticking to them, causing them to harden without any warning symptoms. When your arteries are blocked, you may have a stroke, develop coronary artery disease, and are at risk of heart failure. 

Instead of having one health complication, you’re at risk of two or more. Knowing your risk for another health complication can be a powerful motivating factor to induce lifestyle change.

Kidney disease

Having diabetes places you at risk of chronic kidney disease. When your blood sugar is frequently uncontrolled, the blood vessels in your kidneys sustain damage. 

The disease may scar your kidneys, causing fluid retention that elevates your blood pressure. Tests may reveal protein in your urine that shouldn’t be there. 

If the disease progresses, your kidneys can no longer filter out waste and fluids from your blood. The condition leads to a need for dialysis and even a kidney transplant. 

Damage to your eyes: Diabetic retinopathy 

Having diabetes places you at risk of diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that can cause vision loss. You should get your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist at least once a year and more often if your eye specialist tells you more frequent appointments are necessary. 

Diabetic retinopathy often doesn’t present symptoms in the early stages. That’s why it’s so important to keep your ophthalmology appointments. Early treatment helps preserve your vision. 

Nerve damage 

Nerve damage is a common condition when you have diabetes; researchers estimate that up to half of diabetes patients sustain nerve damage. 

There are four types of nerve damage that can affect your body. One of the most common types of nerve damage is peripheral neuropathy, which affects your extremities — your hands, feet, and/or legs. You may experience numbness or a burning sensation from this type of neuropathy. 

Regular podiatrist appointments are extremely important because you may not be able to feel small cracks in your feet that can develop from corn, callus, or dry skin. A crack or cut in your skin can lead to an infection that’s hard to heal and may even necessitate an amputation if not cared for soon enough. 

If you have diabetes, have had trouble controlling your weight, and want to improve your health, call us at Turnquest Surgical Solutions in Houston, Texas, or book an appointment online today. Weight loss surgery has helped many of our patients live healthy lives.