5 Surprising Ways Diabetes Can Affect You

Diabetes is a chronic disease that can affect multiple organs – from the heart, kidneys, eyes, limbs, or skin, diabetes can completely destroy your health.

Maintaining a healthy diet, regular exercise, reducing stress, and taking any prescribed medications can all help to keep the blood-glucose levels under check.

In addition, here is some visible problems diabetes patients experience and you should watch out for.

Dry, Itchy Skin

This is a common complaint among diabetes patients. High blood glucose levels can cause the skin to become dry and itchy as the body tries to lose excess sugar by causing excessive urination.

If a diabetic is not properly hydrated, the skin can become flaky, dry and itchy. Poor blood glucose control can cause poor circulation in the legs and feet causing dry skin with itchiness. This can be prevented by maintaining adequate fluid intake and using moisturizing creams after a shower and during the day.

Acanthosis nigricans

Acanthosis nigricans is a skin disorder characterized by dark, velvety dark patches in body folds such as the neck, groin, armpits, knees, elbows and hands.

This skin condition occurs due to an overproduction of insulin and can be treated by a diet with controlled carbohydrates. Your doctor may also prescribe medication to control blood sugar and to reduce the darkening.

Skin tags

Skin tags are skin growths that hang from the skin, especially on the neck, eyelids, and armpits. Skin tags are closely associated with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes indicating high insulin levels in the blood.

Skin infections

Bacterial and fungal skin infections are more common in diabetes patients. Bacterial infections could include boils, nail infections, and hair follicle infections while fungal skin infections often produce itchy rashes in skin folds, such as jock itch, yeast infections, and athlete’s foot.

Bacterial and fungal infections can be treated with prescription medications, good blood glucose control and keeping the skin clean and dry.

Open sores and wounds

Prolonged high blood sugar levels can cause poor circulation and nerve damage, especially in the legs and feet. A cut or sore may take a very long time to heal in such people and can even lead to a diabetic ulcer.

If you suffer from diabetes, it is important to daily check your feet and soles. Any blister, corn, bunion or any open sore requires immediate medical attention to prevent it from worsening.

If you are looking for diabetes doctors or primary care physicians in Fairhaven, MA at Prime Medical Associates in Massachusetts at 508-997-1100 Today.