Complicaciones de la diabetes: cómo evitar daños por azúcar en sangre

Title: Complications of Diabetes: How to Avoid Blood Sugar Damage Author: Gao Liansheng, emergency specialist at Changping District Hospital, Beijing. Liu Weixiao, medical director of General Medicine at Xingshou Community Health Service Center, Changping District, Beijing. Zhang Jun, general practitioner, head of Xing Shou Community Health Service Center, Changping District, Beijing. Expert reviewers: Wang Yixin, chief of General Medicine, professor at Anzhen Hospital, Capital University of Medicine, Beijing.

The number of diabetes patients in our country is vast. Many patients can persist with blood sugar monitoring and timely medication but still lack awareness of complications. They often neglect the long-term damage caused by prolonged hyperglycemia to various organs of the body. By the time symptoms like vision decline, numbness in hands and feet, foamy urine, chest discomfort, or even foot ulcers appear, the bodily damage is often difficult to reverse.

Diabetes itself is not terrifying; it is the acute and chronic complications it causes that truly affect quality of life and can even endanger lives. Today, we will discuss the types of complications of diabetes, early warning signs, and how to prevent them scientifically.

The reasons why high blood sugar damages the whole body can be summarized as follows: 1. Glycation reactions: High blood sugar levels cause glucose in the blood to undergo glycation reactions with proteins, forming advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that can harm cells and tissues. 2. Oxidative stress: Excessively high blood sugar levels induce oxidative stress, producing excess free radicals that damage cell membranes, proteins, and DNA. 3. Vascular health: High blood sugar affects the function of the endothelium, making blood vessels more fragile and susceptible to damage, thus increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. 4. Nerve damage: High blood sugar can lead to neuropathy, affecting the normal function of nerves, causing symptoms such as pain and numbness. 5. Immune function decline: High blood sugar weakens the immune system, making the body more susceptible to infections. In summary, prolonged high blood sugar not only affects the quality of life of diabetes patients but also broadly impacts various systems of the body.

Many friends often ask: Why is long-term management necessary if my blood sugar is just a bit high and my body feels fine?