What are the complications from type 2 diabetes?
Over time, high blood sugar can affect many of your major organs, including your heart and kidneys, as well as nerves and blood vessels. This puts people with type 2 diabetes at risk of issues like heart disease, eye damage, and more.
Cardiovascular disease hits people with diabetes hard: They are twice as likely to have heart disease or stroke than someone without diabetes. Over time, high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart. People with diabetes are also prone to high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, and high triglycerides—all of which increase the risk of heart disease.
Eye damage (retinopathy) is common since high blood sugar can damage the blood vessels of the retina, cutting off the blood supply. Retinopathy is responsible for 10,000 new cases of blindness every year in the U.S. Type 2 diabetes can also lead to other serious eye diseases, such as cataracts and glaucoma.
Nerve damage in limbs (neuropathy) happens when prolonged high blood sugar damages or completely destroys nerves, resulting in tingling, numbness, burning, pain, or total loss of feelings in the toes and fingers.
Kidney damage (nephropathy) occurs when the excess glucose damages the blood vessels that filter waste in the kidneys. Diabetes can lead to chronic kidney disease or irreversible end-stage kidney disease, which often requires dialysis or a kidney tran
splant.
