Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Complications
When a person has Type 1 diabetes, their body doesn’t produce the insulin that is needed in order to function properly. Because of this lack of insulin, the body accumulates an excess of glucose in the blood. People with Type 1 diabetes almost always have to take insulin injections. If untreated, complications can result, some of which can be serious.
You can learn more about Type 1 Diabetes (Mellitus) in our article Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: an Overview. Let’s look at some of the most common complications that persons afflicted with Type 1 diabetes Mellitus may encounter.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Prior to the onset of Type 1 diabetes, most people appear to be healthy, and their weight is normal. At this point, the body’s response to insulin is still normal. However, after the onset of Type 1 diabetes, the patient must receive insulin, usually through injections, to avoid the development of diabetic ketoacidosis. If this does develop, common complications can be extremely serious, and include coma and even death.
Diabetic ketoacidosis can be identified by a number of rather extreme symptoms. A person suffering from this disorder often experiences abdominal pain, and may develop nausea or even vomiting. There is generally a characteristic smell to the patient’s breath, which can be described as smelling like nail polish remover. Rapid breathing generally occurs, and dehydration is common.
If untreated, the patient is likely to experience confusion as well as extreme fatigue and lethargy. Alternately, some patients go the other way, and might become extremely hostile. Eventually the patient will go into shock or into a coma, and without immediate and adequate treatment, the condition is often fatal.
Hypoglycemia
Even with insulin treatment, the patient must carefully monitor their blood glucose levels. If the level becomes low, hypoglycemia can result. Hypoglycemia can cause the patient to become unconscious, develop seizures, and in some cases, brain damage and even death could occur.
Patients suffering from hypoglycemia often become extremely weak, although they are also often agitated, and generally suffer from excessive sweating. Hypoglycemia can also create a great sense of panic in the person suffering from it. Hypoglycemia must be treated promptly when it occurs.
Long Term Effects of Diabetes
Diabetes, even conditions that are managed carefully, can take a toll on the body, and long-term chronic complications can result. These can include a susceptibility to vascular diseases, due to damage that occurs to the blood vessel lining over time.
Patients with diabetes can also be at increased risk for strokes, or coronary artery diseases. Eye problems such as diabetic retinopathy or macular edema can also be a result of long-term diabetes, and can cause blindness.
Long-term diabetes can be very damaging to the kidneys, and is the leading cause of kidney failure in adults. Nerves can become damaged, which can lead to muscle weakness. Nerve damage can also decrease the body’s sensitivity, especially in the feet, thus causing the patient to be unaware when foot injuries occur.
Diabetes can also cause vascular problems in the feet. These two issues can combine to increase the risk of infection and skin ulcers, which if undetected and untreated, could cause gangrene and necrosis, which are extremely serious and can lead to the need for amputation of toes or even the entire foot.
Although the complications caused by Type 1 diabetes can be quite severe, the patient’s best chance for avoiding complications is to carefully monitor blood glucose levels, follow a recommended diabetic diet, get regular exercise, and keeps their diabetic condition well-managed by taking insulin or other medications as ordered by their primary care physician.
