Diabetes and Circulatory Disorders
Author: tiger Published Under: Health
Diabetes is a effects the Endocrine System and the way food is processed in the body. There are a number of complications that can be caused by diabetes, but one of the most common is vascular disease, which are diseases that effect the blood vessels, such as heart attacks and strokes.
Even with proper diabetic management, diabetic individuals are at an increased risk of developing heart diseases, which can be increased by other risk factors like smoking.
Blood vessels are responsible for transporting blood and nutrients to the various organs in the body. There are two main types of blood vessels found in the body, specifically Large Blood Vessels and Small Blood Vessels.
Large blood vessels are responsible for transporting blood to and from organs, such as the heart, liver, or kidneys. Often, these large blood vessels will become blocked or otherwise damaged, which can cause a number of other health complications. This can occur because diabetes causes the blood vessels lining to become thicker, eventually resulting in a restricted blood flow pattern.
If the blood vessels in the heart are damaged or become blocked, the heart is prohibited from getting enough blood. This causes heart disease, which is usually called cardiovascular disease or coronary disease. Often, the first signs of cardiovascular disease is trouble breathing, irregular heartbeat, swollen ankles, or chest pain. It is important to speak with a doctor at the first sign of any of these symptoms.
The blood vessels in the legs can also become blocked or damaged as a result of diabetes. This is typically referred to as peripheral arterial disease.
Often, with peripheral arterial disease, the legs will become cramped after sitting down or walking. The feet can also feel cold, become swollen, and inflamed. It is not uncommon for amputation to be required among those who are diabetic, so if any symptoms of peripheral arterial disease are found, it should be reported immediately.
If the vessels in the brain have become restricted or blocked, a stroke can occur and those who are diabetic are at an increased risk of having a stroke. This risk is often increased by hypertension and smoking. About 2/3 of all strokes are caused by blood clots, which occur in an artery that has been narrowed by some sort of disorder, such as diabetes.
Typically the symptoms of a stroke will occur very quickly, often within only a few minutes or hours, although it is possible for them to progress over a few days. Symptoms include, headache, light-headedness, a disoriented feeling, vomiting, burring sensations, vision problems, and speech problems.
In some cases, the symptoms might not be noticeable, but they typically are. In severe cases, paralysis, coma, and death can occur. For survivors, the loss of blood to the brain often causes a number of other health problems, such as physical or mental difficulties.
While one of the chief complications of diabetes are its effects to large blood vessels, diabetes also commonly causes problems with small blood vessels. Small blood vessels are found in the eyes and kidneys, which are most often effected by diabetes.
In the eyes, a broken or leaking blood vessel will often cause problems seeing and eventual blindness. Dark spots, blurriness, or loss of vision can often be the first indication that a problem has occurred. In the event of any of these symptoms it is important to immediately seek medical attention, but since sometimes the problems may go unnoticed, it is important to regularly visit an eye doctor.
It is also not uncommon for diabetes to cause the small blood vessels in the kidney to become blocked. This causes a number o very serious health problems, which often go unnoticed for many years because the damage occurs very slowly. Regularly visiting the doctor is one way that damage to the small blood vessels in the kidney can be diagnosed and treated.