Diabetes conditions occur when the diabetes a person has is poorly managed. The good news is that by keeping a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise, and monitoring your blood sugar levels well you can avoid many diabetes conditions. Common diabetes conditions include:

  • Eye Complications
  • Foot Complications
  • Skin Complications
  • Diabetic Nephropathy (Kidney Damage)
  • Diabetic Neuropathy (Nerve Damage)
  • Mental Conditions

 

 

Diabetes and Skin Conditions

 

There are many conditions of the skin that affect people with diabetes. Bacterial infections are a particular problem because diabetics a less productive immune system than people of the general population. Stys, boils, and carbuncles are particularly a problem. Luckily, these conditions can be treated with antibiotics in the form of pills or creams. Other skin conditions include:

  • Fungal Infections
  • Itching
  • Allergic Reactions
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Diabetic Blisters
  • Diabetic Dermopathy
  • Digital Sclerosis
  • Vitiligo

 

High blood glucose levels tend to cause dry skin, which leads to many of these diabetes skin conditions. Keeping you blood sugar under control is therefore vital in avoiding these types of diabetes skin conditions. Keeping your skin clean and dry, using moisturizing lotions (not between your toes), using moisturizing soaps, and treating minor cuts and scrapes immediately can also help you to avoid having skin conditions with diabetes (DiabeticLifeStyle.com, 2011).

 

Diabetes Eye Conditions

 

In diabetes, complications of the eyes commonly occur due to high blood pressure levels. Some of these may lead to blindness. In fact, people with diabetes carry a higher risk of blindness than those without. Regular checkups keep minor problems from developing into major problems, and there are many treatments available for people who catch these conditions of diabetes early on.

Glaucoma, retinopathy, and cataracts are common eye-related diabetes conditions. Glaucoma and cataracts are conditions that tend to form in people naturally; they just happen to come on at a younger age in people with diabetes. Retinopathy, however, is directly influenced by blood sugar and blood pressure levels. Therefore, you can avoid the types of diabetes condition, or keep them from getting worse, by keeping your blood sugar and blood pressure levels in check.

 

Diabetes Related Conditions

 

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) lists several types of conditions which are related to diabetes. Hemochromatosis is an example of this. It is sometimes referred to as ‘bronze diabetes’, and it is fairly common but often goes untreated. This is a single-gene disease that causes iron accumulation in the tissues of the body. This disorder is important to know of because it can cause diabetes by damage to the pancreas.

Frozen shoulder is often found in people with diabetes. It is condition where stiffness and progressively worse pain causes the inability to move the shoulder. Doctors know that there is a relationship between diabetes and frozen shoulder, but are still researching the relationship. Physical therapy is generally recommended for this condition.

Those that have been affected in the Vietnam War by Agent Orange seem to also be affected by diabetes. Agent Orange was an herbicide that was used in the war and since has been a known cause for various illnesses. The Department of Veterans Affairs automatically presumes a Vietnam’s Veteran exposure to Agent Orange, and qualifies those Vietnam Veterans with type 2 diabetes for compensation(Diabetes.org, 2011).

 

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