What are common consequences of diabetes?

 

Over time, diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.
 

• Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. In a multinational study, 50% of people with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease (primarily heart disease and stroke) (6).

• Combined with reduced blood flow, neuropathy (nerve damage) in the feet increases the chance of foot ulcers, infection nd eventual need for limb amputation.

• Diabetic retinopathy is an important cause of blindness, and occurs as a result of long-term accumulated damage to the small blood vessels in the retina. One percent of global blindness can be attributed to diabetes (7).

• Diabetes is among the leading causes of kidney failure (4).

• The overall risk of dying among people with diabetes is at least double the risk of their peers without diabetes (8).