The Effects of Prolonged High Blood Sugar

Maintaining a controlled blood sugar level is imperative for our health. Even people who haven't been diagnosed with having diabetes should be prudent in watching their sugar and carbohydrate intakes. Uncontrolled blood sugar levels that are consistently high can have dire effects on the body.

Glucose

• Glucose is the medical term for sugar in the blood. The pancreas is supposed to self-regulate blood sugar levels by producing a substance called insulin. Insulin is what carries the blood sugar to the body's cells to be used as energy. When the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, the blood sugar level begins to rise and high blood sugar or diabetes sets in. Another way the body can malfunction and cause high blood sugar levels is by developing a resistance to the insulin the pancreas produces.
  While medical science has yet to define a textbook "normal" blood sugar level, most doctors follow the common range of 70 to 100 mg/dL for fasting blood draws. Readings of 100 to 125mg/dL can suggest a pre-diabetes situation that your doctor may want to follow up on with further testing. Anything over 126 mg/dL during a fasting test is generally considered as being diabetic and requires further testing. Random test ranges are very different. Your reading should never be over 200 mg/dL, even just after eating. Pre-diabetes readings for random blood draws are 140-199 mg/dL. Anything over 200 mg/dL is considered a diabetic level.

Diabetic Retinopathy

• Having an eleveated blood sugar level for a prolonged period of time can lead to diabetic retinopathy, which is damage to the retina of the eye due to diabetes. This can--and usually does--lead to blindness. Diabetic retinopathy affects eight out of 10 people who have had diabetes for a decade or longer. The small blood vessels of the eye are adversely affected by glucose in the body, causing them to become fragile and burst. Diabetic retinopathy can only be determined by an eye exam from an ophthalmologist. If caught early, the condition is manageable and vision can be spared.

Diabetic Nephropathy

• Diabetic nephropathy is a progressive disease of the kidneys caused by a breakdown of the capillaries. The kidneys become weak and eventually fail due to the long-term exposure to high blood sugar levels. Diabetic nephropathy is the leading cause of kidney dialysis. Presently, there is no other management alternative for this condition, and dialysis is not always successful.

Diabetic Foot

• Diabetic foot is a condition where the feet and lower extremities have lost their nerve and sensory function, and the vessels in the tissue have also become damaged, all due to high blood sugar levels. Because of this, the feet are more prone to infections. Some of these infections, such as gangrene, are severe enough that they require amputation of one or both feet.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)

• Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the lowering of the blood's pH level due to insufficient insulin. This results in a build up of ketone bodies in the blood. Ketone bodies are substances that regulate the blood's pH level. A decreased pH level in the blood can cause the liver to turn to fat, which, without prompt and thorough intervention, will result in death. The muscles and brain are affected by the ketone bodies in the same way.

Diabetic Coma

• A diabetic coma is when the body slips into a comatose state due to a high blood sugar level that that body can no longer tolerate. Sometimes, diabetic ketoacidosis will also make a person lapse into a diabetic coma. If caught early enough, the coma can be reversed using varying degrees of IV therapy. However, diabetic comas can be fatal as well.