How Can Diabetes Kill You? The Shocking Truth About Diabetes

Over the years, diabetes has progressively increased in prevalence affecting over 422 million individuals and taking about 1.6 million lives yearly. This increase in prevalence has however not been met with an increase in caution by most people. I guess we have not yet come to terms with the diabetic burden and how dangerous it can be. Perhaps, we are still oblivious of what the disease really is and its dangers.

What then is diabetes? Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease, characterized by an accumulation of glucose(sugar) in the blood beyond normal levels (>200mg/dl). This is usually as a result of the inability of the body(pancreas) to produce insulin or suboptimal production of insulin as seen in Type 1 diabetes or due to reduced effectiveness of insulin as seen in the more common Type 2 diabetes.

Insulin is a hormone important in regulating the uptake of sugar from the blood into the tissues where it is really needed. If there is a problem with it, sugar accumulates in the blood leaving other body tissues starved. This article will be focusing on the more common Type 2 diabetes prevalent in older individuals with a mean age of 45-years. Its prevalence is however rising in children and adolescents, hence the revoke of its former name, Adult-onset diabetes. Another revoked name is non-insulin dependent diabetes as type 2 diabetic patients may at some point have a need for insulin like their insulin-dependent Type 1 counterpart.

So, how can diabetes kill you? In fact, it has gained the 7th position in the list of leading causes of death in the United States. You may argue that one thing must kill a man and diabetes is just one of the more than 1000 ways to die. Yes I agree, but what if I also add that it takes you through a painful, slow death. Now, you will agree with me that it’s a real monster if given the wings by lack of proper treatment. The best strategy of course remains prevention.

Still not convinced?

Join me and let’s unpack this sad baggage that accompany the slow and painful death caused by the monster, uncontrolled diabetes.

First it announces its presence by increasing the frequency of urination (polyuria) while causing a commensurate increase in thirst(polydipsia). Yeah, a little discomforting but manageable. At this stage, sugar (glucose) lodges in the blood because of a problem with insulin needed to get the sugar into the muscles and other tissues where they are needed.

This gives birth to the contradiction of too much sugar in the blood and too little in the tissues, perfectly depicting the paradox, hunger in the midst of plenty. This explains the tiredness that comes with diabetes as the muscles are starved. In a bit to balance this, the body sends signals to the brain to trigger hunger, this further explains (polyphagia) where diabetes causes excessive eating.

POLYDIPSIA -THIRST, URGE TO DRINK WATER

Well, by now, you must have observed that diabetic patients are usually thirstier and hungrier. Despite their increased food and water intake, they remain tired. Other early signs may include dry mouth, itchy skin and blurred vision.

How can these kill you may be wondering? As said earlier, it’s a slow death that comes with its own baggage of sad tales, if treatment is delayed. The above symptoms are mere preambles.

At this stage, most people notice the symptoms and present themselves to a clinic for diagnosis and treatment. The question however is, what then happens if a patient does not commence treatment or defaults in treatment? This is when diabetes gathers momentum and continues in its slow murder expedition. This ugly expedition of badly managed or uncontrolled diabetes spans from complications as mild as tingling sensations in the feet, legs or hands (paraesthesia) to death, and of course, everything in-between.

If an early diagnosis is not made and treatment commenced, it gradually and consistently causes internal damage which are irreversible and costly. These long term damages are the real demons that assist diabetes in its evil murder expedition, making sure the death is slow and painful.

Wondering what these culprits are? Read on

1. Pain, numbness or tingling of the hands and feet; Persistent elevation of blood sugar damages the blood vessels and nerves overtime. This causes tingling, numbness, burning or pain that begins at the tip of the toes and fingers and gradually spread upward.
2. Diabetic foot; poor blood circulation when persistent can lead to nerve damage which in turn numbs the foot. Injuries to the extremities are thus not noticed on time and can progress to ulcerations before being noticed. And because of the inadequate blood supply to tissues, healing is impaired. Sometimes patient is left only with the option of limb amputation
3. Decreased or even loss of vision; Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina leading to loss gradual loss of vision. It can also increase the risk of other serious vision conditions, such as cataract and glaucoma.
4. Sexual problems in both men and women (decreased sexual drive, Impotence or erectile dysfunction); Nerve damage that occurs with persistent elevation of blood sugar can also affect the sex organs causing erectile dysfunction.
5. Increased susceptibility to infections; High blood sugar levels weakens the patient’s immune system defenses, making it susceptible to infections. Frequent yeast infection, abscesses in the mouth are some of the common occurrence in uncontrolled diabetic patient.
6. Heart disease; Overtime, there occurs a damage to blood vessels and nerves supplying the heart. This then initiates ripples in the way of heart diseases. Mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases are five times higher amongst men with diabetes and eight times higher amongst women with diabetes.
7. Stroke; Diabetes is a well-established risk factor for stroke. The damage to blood vessels can affect the cerebral vessels causing
8. Kidney disease which can result in need for dialysis or kidney transplant; the kidney contains numerous tiny blood vessels clustered in the glomeruli that filter waste from the blood. Significant damage to a lot of the vessels associated with this delicate filtering system can lead to chronic kidney disease and progressively lead to end stage kidney disease which may require dialysis or implant. And if not, will eventually drag the patient to the grave.
9. Weight loss; while intentional weight loss in diabetic patients with an exercise or diet plan can be beneficial in type 2 diabetes, as it puts less strain on the pancreas and improves the effectiveness of insulin. An unintentional weight loss in diabetic patients can however spell doom as it is usually signals uncontrolled diabetes. This happens because insulin is unable to drive the glucose to the tissue, hence breakdown of the fats and muscle proteins to supplement the lack thereof. The unintentional loss is not to be desired because of the collateral damage caused by persistently elevated blood sugar levels.
10. Lower limb amputation; usually a sequel of non healing foot ulcer. The limbs are amputated to halt spread of infection from an irreparably damaged or infected foot.
11. Increased risk of dementia; Diabetes is considered a risk factor for dementia. This occurs as a result of damage of the blood vessels to the brain which subsequently reduces or blocks free flow of blood to the brain. Many people with diabetes have brain changes that are hallmarks of both Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
12. Predisposure to severe COVID-19 infection; several studies have reported diabetes as a risk factor for severe COVID-19 infection considering the rate at which diabetic patients deteriorate when infected. Reasons for this are not far-fetched as we already know that diabetes impair several aspects of the immune response to viral infections and also to the potential bacterial infection of the lungs.
13. Depression; Patients with diabetes are two times more likely to experience depression than their peers without diabetes. Depression in diabetic patients results in deleterious effects on glycemic control, worsened diabetic complications, functional disability and mortality in worse case scenarios.

PATIENT WITH DEMENTIA. DIABETICS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DEMENTIA

Oh, these symptoms are pretty serious but have still managed to leave the patient alive. Yes, but then if still uncontrolled, will continue to draw patient closer to the grave. Meanwhile, some of this serious symptoms are just a treatment away from death. Take the end-stage kidney failure which can lead to death, without dialysis or a kidney transplant. Or the stroke and heart disease that are common causes of death.

There are however even worse complications that affect diabetics which leave them closer to death than you can imagine.

The duo Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Non-ketotic Syndrome (HHNS) can ultimately lead to coma, which if treatment isn’t commenced on time, can spiral to death.

If prior to these, you saw diabetes in a quotidian light, I am sure by now you must have discovered how monstrous the sugarcoated disease can be.

The good news is that diabetes is treatable and can be effectively managed with medications, insulin and lifestyle modification.

Now you can see how diabetes can kill you, what are you going to do about it now?

Disclaimer: The information and graphics here are for informational purposes only. The content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment. You should always consult your medical doctor or other qualified healthcare professionals if you have queries regarding your health. Never disregard the advice of a healthcare professional, or delay in seeking it because of something you have read here