Diabetes is a serious disease that can affect your eyes, heart, nerves, feet and kidneys. Understanding how diabetes affects your body is important. It can help you follow your treatment plan and stay as healthy as possible.
Does diabetes affect the circulatory system?
How Diabetes Affects Your Heart – Over time, high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart. People with diabetes are also more likely to have other conditions that raise the risk for heart disease:
High blood pressure increases the force of blood through your arteries and can damage artery walls. Having both high blood pressure and diabetes can greatly increase your risk for heart disease. Too much LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in your bloodstream can form plaque on damaged artery walls. High triglycerides (a type of fat in your blood) and low HDL (“good”) cholesterol or high LDL cholesterol is thought to contribute to hardening of the arteries.
None of these conditions has symptoms. Your doctor can check your blood pressure and do a simple blood test to see if your LDL, HDL, and triglyceride levels are high. These factors can also raise your risk for heart disease:
Smoking Being overweight or having obesity Not getting enough physical activity Eating a diet high in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and sodium (salt) Drinking too much alcohol
People with diabetes are also more likely to have heart failure, Heart failure is a serious condition, but it doesn’t mean the heart has stopped beating; it means your heart can’t pump blood well. This can lead to swelling in your legs and fluid building up in your lungs, making it hard to breathe. Get regular checkups to keep track of your heart health.
What are 5 body systems affected by diabetes?
Summary – When you have uncontrolled diabetes, you are at increased risk for several health problems. These problems can affect major organs and organ systems, such as your heart and blood vessels, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, digestive system, and brain.
Does diabetes affect the endocrine system?
What is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes? – Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are caused by problems with insulin production or response and are, as a result, inextricably linked to the endocrine system. The difference is in the type and cause of the malfunction:
Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks its own endocrine system. Over time, the pancreas loses all of its insulin-producing cells, and the patient becomes fully reliant on synthetic insulin to manage their blood glucose. Type 2 Diabetes develops over a longer period of time when the body becomes resistant to insulin. As this resistance builds, the pancreas must work harder and harder to meet the body’s demand for insulin until it can no longer keep up.
A patient with Type 2 diabetes may be able to help their pancreas regulate their blood sugar through exercise and diet. However, people with Type 1 diabetes are completely unable to produce insulin, so they must essentially act as their own pancreas by monitoring their blood glucose and administering enough insulin to cope with any changes.
How does diabetes affect the muscular system?
Diabetes and Your Joints Diabetes can cause changes in your musculoskeletal system, which is the term for your muscles, bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons. These changes can cause numerous conditions that may affect your fingers, hands, wrists, shoulders, neck, spine, or feet.
- Symptoms of diabetes-related musculoskeletal problems include muscle pain, joint pain or stiffness, lessened ability to move your joints, joint swelling, deformities, and a “pins and needles” sensation in the arms or legs.
- Some musculoskeletal problems are unique to diabetes.
- Others also affect people without diabetes.
For instance, diabetes can cause skin changes such as thickening, tightness, or nodules under the skin, particularly in the hands. Carpal tunnel syndrome is frequently seen in people with diabetes, as is trigger finger (a catching or locking of the fingers), although these conditions are commonly seen in people without diabetes, as well.
- The shoulder joint may also be affected in diabetes.
- And, of course, the feet are susceptible to problems caused by diabetes.
- Most of these conditions can be successfully treated with anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections, or other therapies.
- It is important to mention any troubling symptoms to your doctor.
Ask yourself the following questions, which address some of the more frequent symptoms people have when diabetes affects their muscles, ligaments, tendons, or joints. If you answer “yes” to any, consult your doctor. • Do you have stiffness in your hands that affects your ability to move or use them? • Do your fingers get “locked” in certain positions? • Do you have numbness or tingling in your hands, arms, or legs? • Do you have stiffness or decreased motion in your shoulders? • Do you have muscle pain or swelling? Permission is granted to reproduce this material for nonprofit educational purposes.
How does diabetes affect the immune system?
Hyperglycemia in diabetes is thought to cause dysfunction of the immune response, which fails to control the spread of invading pathogens in diabetic subjects. Therefore, diabetic subjects are known to more susceptible to infections.
Is diabetes a cardiovascular disease?
INTRODUCTION – The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing substantially worldwide. Over the past three decades, the global burden of DM has swelled from 30 million in 1985 to 382 million in 2014, with current trends indicating that these rates will only continue to rise. The latest estimates by the international diabetes federation project that 592 million (1 in 10 persons) worldwide will have DM by 2035. While the rates of both type 1 DM (T1DM) and T2DM are growing, T2DM has a disproportionately greater contribution to the rising prevalence of DM globally compared to T1DM. One consequence of the growing rates of DM is a considerable economic burden both for the patient and the healthcare system. In the United States, the total cost of DM averages $2108/patient per year, which is nearly twice that of non-diabetic patients. The economic burden associated with DM is substantial both in terms of the direct costs of medical care as well as indirect costs of diminished productivity tied to diabetes related morbidity and mortality. The direct costs of DM are primarily attributed to both macrovascular and microvascular complications such as coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, end-stage renal disease and neuropathy. A close link exists between DM and cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is the most prevalent cause of mortality and morbidity in diabetic populations. CVD death rates in the United States are 1.7 times higher among adults (> 18 years) with DM than those without diagnosed DM, largely due to an increased risk of stroke and myocardial infarction (MI). This increased risk of CVD mortality in diabetic patients is found in both men and women. The relative risk for CVD morbidity and mortality in adults with diabetes ranges from 1 to 3 in men and from 2 to 5 in women compared to those those without DM. Proper control and treatment of DM is critical as both the prevalence and economic burden of the disease continue to mount. As CVD is the most prevalent cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with DM, a primary goal of diabetes treatment should be to improve the cardiovascular (CV) risk of diabetic patients. However, one challenge associated with treating DM and reducing CV events is the complex and multifaceted nature of the relationship linking DM to CVD. CV risk factors including obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia are common in patients with DM, particularly those with T2DM. In addition, studies have reported that several factors including increased oxidative stress, increased coagulability, endothelial dysfunction and autonomic neuropathy are often present in patients with DM and may directly contribute to the development of CVD. Collectively, the high rates of CV risk factors and direct biological effects of diabetes on the CV system place diabetic patients at increased risk of developing CVD, and contribute to the increased prevalence of MI, revascularization, stroke and CHF. Due to the complexity and numerous mechanisms linking DM to CVD, it is crucial to focus treatment to what will have the greatest clinical impact on improving CV outcomes. This paper examines the mechanisms linking DM to CVD as well as current treatment recommendations and future research in diabetes management.
How does diabetes affect your oxygen?
Low blood oxygen saturation in T1D – A low blood oxygen saturation measured with pulse oximetry in the peripheral blood has been demonstrated in the supine position in individuals with T1D, but these studies did not account for changes in body position or included any individuals with macroalbuminuria.1 2 The difference between T1D and CONs was similar in magnitude to what we observed in the present study.
- The supply of oxygen could be altered by an impaired breathing efficiency due to generalised autonomic dysfunction as seen in the T1D group in our study with a low baroreflex sensivity.
- The transport of oxygen from the lungs to the blood could be impaired. Patients with diabetes have a reduced pulmonary diffusion capacity, and this is associated with a long diabetes duration.22 23 A reduced pulmonary diffusion capacity in diabetes could be caused by pulmonary microvascular damage, which is supported by our finding that macroalbuminuria was associated with low blood oxygen saturation. In addition, glycosylation of the basal membrane is suggested to impair pulmonary oxygen diffusion, and this could also play a role in T1D.24
- The transport of oxygen from the blood to the peripheral tissue could be altered by cardiovascular adaptations in T1D such as atherosclerosis or an impaired microcirculation.25 26 This question should be adressed in future studies.
Why does diabetes affect the lungs?
Diabetes And The Lungs – A recent study published in Diabetes Care found that adults with either Type I or Type II diabetes are 8% more likely to have asthma, 22% more like to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 54% more likely to have pulmonary fibrosis, and nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized for pneumonia.
What part of the digestive system is diabetes related to?
Skip to content Diabetes and the Gut GIS 2021-09-01T16:02:51-07:00 The pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, which helps regulate the metabolism of carbohydrates in the body by signaling cells to take in glucose from the bloodstream. Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when cells in the body do not respond to insulin the way they should.
- There are three main types: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes.
- In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas produces very little or no insulin.
- It often occurs in children, and is a form of autoimmune dysfunction.
- Type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1, affecting approximately 90% of those with diabetes.1 It occurs more frequently in adults older than 40 years-of-age, although physicians have been diagnosing type 2 diabetes in younger individuals more often in recent years.2 Type 2 diabetes typically involves insulin resistance, which means that the body does not respond to and metabolize insulin effectively.
In some cases, type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce sufficient insulin. Gestational diabetes only occurs during pregnancy in women who did not have diabetes beforehand, but developed high blood sugar while pregnant. Most of the time, gestational diabetes resolves after pregnancy, but it can increase the risk of the woman or her child developing diabetes in the future.
How does diabetes affect the integumentary system?
– Diabetes can also affect your skin, the largest organ of your body. Along with dehydration, your body’s lack of moisture due to high blood sugar can cause the skin on your feet to dry and crack. It’s important to completely dry your feet after bathing or swimming.
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Symptoms include redness, blistering, and itchiness. High-pressure spots under your foot can lead to calluses. These can become infected or develop ulcers. If you do get an ulcer, see a doctor immediately to lower the risk of losing your foot. You may also be more prone to:
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Unmanaged diabetes can also lead to three skin conditions:
Eruptive xanthomatosis causes hard yellow bumps with a red ring. Digital sclerosis causes thick skin, most often on the hands or feet. Diabetic dermopathy can cause brown patches on the skin. There’s no cause for concern and no treatment is necessary.
These skin conditions usually clear up when blood sugar gets under control.
What part of the digestive system does Type 1 diabetes affect?
What is type 1 diabetes? – Diabetes occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes mainly from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps the glucose in your blood get into your cells to be used for energy.
- Another hormone, glucagon, works with insulin to control blood glucose levels.
- In most people with type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system, which normally fights infection, attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin.
- As a result, your pancreas stops making insulin.
- Without insulin, glucose can’t get into your cells and your blood glucose rises above normal.
People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day to stay alive. People with type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day.
How does the endocrine system help diabetes?
How diabetes affects your blood sugar
The endocrine system and diabetes – Diabetes affects how the body regulates blood glucose levels. Insulin helps to reduce levels of blood glucose whereas glucagon’s role is to increase blood glucose levels. In people without diabetes, insulin and glucagon work together to keep blood glucose levels balanced.
In diabetes, the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t respond properly to insulin causing an imbalance between the effects of insulin and glucagon. In type 1 diabetes, the body isn’t able to produce enough insulin and so blood glucose becomes too high unless insulin is injected. In type 2 diabetes, the body is unable to respond effectively to insulin, which can also result in higher than normal blood glucose levels.
Medications for type 2 diabetes include those which help to increase insulin sensitivity, those which stimulate the pancreas to release more insulin and other medications which inhibit the release of glucagon.