Effects of Diabetes & Hypertension

Diabetes alters how your body uses glucose or blood sugar, and people with either type of diabetes have too much of this and it can cause a variety of problems. If you have high blood pressure, your arteries are narrowing and the blood moving through them is putting too much pressure on them. These conditions are serious and can cause significant complications in the body so proper management is very important.

Short-term complications of diabetes

• These problems require immediate care. If they go untreated, they can prompt seizures or coma.

  High blood sugar (hypoglycemia) results from overeating, illness or not enough glucose-lowering medicines.
  Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when the cells are deprived of energy. The body will turn to fat as an energy source, which forms toxic acids called ketones.
  Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is caused by skipping meals and overexertion. It occurs most often if you are taking glucose-lowering medications that encourage the release of insulin or if you are taking insulin.

Long-term complications

• Long-term complications develop over time, and are more likely the longer you have had diabetes and the more poorly controlled your blood sugar is. Diabetes is a significant risk factor for all sorts of heart conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, and angina. In addition, it can damage several parts of the body, leading to serious health problems and complications. Diabetes causes neuropathy (nerve damage), nephropathy (kidney damage), and diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness. Also, it causes a variety of foot problems that can lead to infection and even amputation. Problems with the mouth, skin, bones and joints are also possible.

Gestational diabetes

• This form of diabetes occurs during pregnancy. A majority of women deliver healthy babies but if not managed properly, it can cause complications for you and your baby.

  Possible effects on the child include excess growth, low blood sugar, respiratory distress syndrome, jaundice, increased risk of type 2 diabetes later on, and in rare instances, death.

  You might experience preeclampsia, a condition causing high blood pressure and too much protein in the urine. It also increases the chance of gestational diabetes in the next pregnancy and the likelihood of getting type 2 diabetes.

High blood pressure, the heart, and stroke

• High blood pressure is responsible for many conditions that can cause stroke and serious heart problems. High blood pressure can lead to stroke by causing an aneurysm (bulging blood vessels) to rupture, or by damaging blood vessels in the brain, causing them to reduce blood flow to the brain or rupture. It can cause heart failure by thickening the heart muscle, which impedes its ability to sufficiently pump blood through the body. Hardening and thickening of the arteries can lead to heart attac, and this is also a risk factor for stroke.

Other effects of high blood pressure

• High blood pressure can also weaken the blood vessels in the kidneys and eyes. High blood pressure is one of the conditions grouped under metabolic syndrome, which affects the body's metabolism and can lead to a variety of health problems. It also affects mental acuity by causing problems with thinking, learning and memory.