6 Powerful Reasons to Avoid Type 2 Diabetes
Thirty-four million people in the United States have Type 2 diabetes. Sadly, all of them are at a higher risk of health complications in ways that might surprise you. In observance of Diabetes Awareness Month, let’s look into six of these complications:
- Legs and feet can develop problems with circulation and nerve function. Our patients with diabetes are more susceptible to certain lower limb issues than our non-diabetic patients. Such problems include wounds that won’t heal, fungal infections, numbness, cracked heels, and weakened bones due to damaged nerves.
- Kidney damage: high blood sugar impairs the function of surrounding blood vessels.
- Eyesight changes due to diabetic retinopathy – a condition in which the blood vessels at the back of the eye (the retina) can swell and leak fluid.
- Sexual health suffers in both men and women. Nerve and blood vessel damage can cause lack of feeling, vaginal dryness, and erectile dysfunction.
- COVID-19 causes more severe illnesses and complications in people with diabetes, especially if they’re not managing their disease very well.
- Diabetes presents mental health Checking your blood sugar daily, watching what you eat, changing your routine when you go on vacation, keeping track of medications – all of this can cause a person to seek help for anxiety or depression.
Our experienced podiatric surgeons, Dr. Craig B. Frey, Dr. Megan L. Oltmann, and Dr. Jim Swienconek, encourage you to learn more about diabetes prevention during this Diabetes Awareness Month. And if you do have diabetes, remember to complete daily foot checks and visit our office at least once a year to catch foot problems before they become unmanageable. Call Foot & Ankle Associates of Cleveland in Solon, Ohio at (440) 903-1041 or contact us online to schedule a consultation. We offer a modern office with the latest technology for podiatric patients in Portage, Geauga, Cuyahoga, and Summit Counties, proudly serving our patients from Solon, Aurora, Bedford, Chagrin Falls, Hudson, Macedonia, and Twinsburg.
