If diabetes is not treated, the person’s blood glucose levels can become too high or too low, which can be particularly dangerous. Over time, untreated diabetes can lead to serious complications such as nerve damage, kidney damage, heart disease, stroke, and vision problems.
High blood glucose levels can also stimulate the body to produce too much urine, which may lead to dehydration. People with poorly controlled diabetes may also suffer from skin conditions, such as bacterial and fungal infections, and reduced circulation, which can lead to poor healing.
Poorly managed diabetes can also affect mental health, causing mood swings and depression, and reducing the ability to concentrate on a task. Ultimately, without adequate management of diabetes, the person’s overall health can deteriorate significantly and they may require extra medical intervention.
How long can you live with untreated diabetes?
Living with untreated diabetes can be very dangerous and can significantly reduce life expectancy. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, complications associated with untreated diabetes can result in a shortened life span.
These complications can include heart and kidney disease, vision and nerve damage, and high levels of sugar in the blood can lead to an increased risk of infections. Without proper diabetes management, people with the disease can develop life-threatening conditions.
Depending on the severity of the case, life expectancy with untreated diabetes can be shortened by 10-15 years. Without appropriate medical intervention, diabetes can cause serious damage or death. Therefore, it is important to seek treatment from a healthcare professional as soon as possible to reduce the risk of life-threatening complications.
What does untreated diabetes feel like?
Untreated diabetes can lead to a wide range of symptoms. Initially, it may feel like a general feeling of being unwell, including fatigue and weakness. Other symptoms may include frequent urination, increased thirst and hunger, blurry vision, slow healing wounds, and unexplainable weight loss.
People with untreated diabetes may also experience numbness in the extremities, tingling of the skin, and nerve pain. These symptoms can be annoying, uncomfortable, and scary depending on their intensity and severity.
Left untreated, diabetes can lead to a host of other serious health issues such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and nerve damage. It is important to seek medical advice if you suspect you have diabetes so it can be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible before any further health issues develop.
Can untreated diabetes lead to death?
Yes, untreated diabetes can lead to death. Diabetes is a serious, chronic condition that affects the body’s ability to produce or use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas which helps the body break down sugar and use it as energy.
If left untreated, diabetes can cause several serious health complications, which over time can lead to death. Uncontrolled diabetes can cause damage to the heart, kidneys, nerves, and blood vessels and can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation.
These complications increase the risk of death. Furthermore, untreated diabetes can lead to severely high blood sugar levels and ketoacidosis, a potentially life-threatening condition. Diabetic ketoacidosis can lead to coma and death.
It is therefore important for people with diabetes to be diligent about monitoring and managing their condition.
Can you live with diabetes for years and not know?
Yes, it is possible to live with diabetes for years without knowing; this is known as latent or silent diabetes. Latent diabetes becomes evident when blood sugar levels are tested and the results are higher than normal.
It occurs most often in people aged 40 and older, and often without any symptoms present. People with latent diabetes may not experience symptoms such as fatigue, excessive thirst and frequent urination, and if they do experience mild symptoms, they may ignore them and not seek treatment.
It is important to detect diabetes as early as possible, to reduce the risk of long-term complications related to diabetes, such as heart and kidney disease, nerve damage and vision loss. Establishing regular health screenings with a medical professional can help individuals determine if they have latent diabetes or another condition.
Additionally, maintaining a healthy weight and getting enough physical activity, as well as eating a balanced diet and limiting caloric intake, can help to reduce the risk of diabetes.
What are the final stages of diabetes?
The final stages of diabetes depend on the type of diabetes and how well it has been managed. For Type 1 diabetes, if it is not well managed, complications such as kidney disease, heart disease, nerve damage, and vision problems can arise if blood sugar isn’t controlled.
Type 2 diabetes can lead to life-threatening complications such as heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and blindness if it is not managed properly.
High blood sugars, or hyperglycemia, can lead to dehydration and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a life-threatening condition that can occur if blood sugars remain high over a long period of time. This can cause severe fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.
If diabetes is well-managed, it is possible to avoid dangerous or life-threatening complications. However, long-term diabetes can lead to complications like nerve damage, or neuropathy, which can cause numbness and tingling in the feet and hands, as well as vision loss, skin infections, and urinary tract infections.
Left unchecked, long-term diabetes can cause organ damage, which can lead to issues like kidney failure, stroke, heart attack and amputations.
Management of diabetes does not end with diagnosis. Regular monitoring of blood sugar levels, dietary changes, and other lifestyle modifications should be maintained. Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and lifestyle modifications can help improve overall health and help prevent the onset of life-threatening complications.
What are the signs that diabetes is getting worse?
The signs that diabetes is getting worse may vary depending on the type of diabetes a person has, but some common signs to look out for include:
1. Increased Thirst and Hunger: People with diabetes may experience increased thirst and hunger, as well as urinating more frequently.
2. Unintended Weight Loss: If a person with diabetes is not careful about their diet, they may start to lose weight unintentionally.
3. Fatigue: Dehydration, frequent urination, and an imbalance of glucose in the blood can lead to feelings of extreme tiredness.
4. Blurred Vision: High levels of glucose in the blood can draw fluids from the body’s tissues, including the eyes, resulting in blurred vision.
5. Poor Wound Healing: Poor circulation and nerve damage caused by diabetes can make it difficult for wounds to heal.
6. Numbness and Tingling in Limbs: High levels of glucose in the body can cause damage to nerve cells in the extremities, leading to numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and suspect that your diabetes is getting worse, it is important to seek medical advice for treatment and management.
How can undiagnosed diabetes make you feel?
If you have undiagnosed diabetes, it’s likely you won’t be feeling your best. Diabetes is a chronic illness that affects how your body responds to sugar, or glucose. When there’s too much sugar in the blood and not enough insulin, your body can’t break down the sugar and it stays in the bloodstream.
This causes your blood sugar to stay high, resulting in symptoms such as excessive thirst, frequent urination, fatigue, blurred vision, headaches, and weight loss. Feeling tired is common in people with undiagnosed diabetes as the body is working hard to cope with too much sugar in the blood stream.
Hunger is also common as your body is unable to use the extra sugar, leaving you feeling deprived and in need of more energy from food. Other symptoms of undiagnosed diabetes include slow-healing sores and cuts, genital itching, and yeast infections.
If you think you may have undiagnosed diabetes, it’s important to visit your doctor for a check-up. Early diagnosis and treatment is the best way manage your symptoms and reduce the risk of long-term complications.
What are 3 symptoms of undiagnosed diabetes?
1. Increased Thirst and Urination: People with undiagnosed diabetes frequently experience an increase in thirst and urination. This is due to the body’s attempts to rid itself of unused glucose in the urine.
As glucose levels increase, the kidneys work to rid the body of the excess sugar.
2. Weight Loss: Unexplained weight loss, even with increased appetite, can be a symptom of undiagnosed diabetes. This is due to the body’s inability to properly utilize and store the energy it gets from food.
3. Fatigue: Fatigue can be caused by both high and low blood sugar levels. Without healthy and properly functioning pancreatic cells, the body cannot properly utilize and store energy, resulting in fatigue and exhaustion, even after normal activities.
In addition to these three symptoms, people with undiagnosed diabetes may also experience blurry vision, slow healing of cuts and bruises, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet and recurrent infections.
If any of these symptoms are experienced, it is important to contact a doctor or medical professional as soon as possible to get a proper diagnoses and treatment.
Does diabetes make you feel weird?
No, diabetes does not typically cause individuals to feel “weird. ” Different people may experience different signs and symptoms of diabetes, but feeling “weird” is not typically one of them. Common signs and symptoms of diabetes include feeling very thirsty, frequent urination, extreme hunger, unexplained weight loss, feeling very tired, and blurry vision.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to talk to your healthcare provider as soon as possible to determine if diabetes could be the cause. If diabetes is diagnosed, there are various treatments available to help manage the condition and prevent any long-term damage.
How long can you have diabetes without knowing?
It is possible to have diabetes without knowing it for a long period of time. The symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes can be present for years without being diagnosed. For type 1 diabetes, this is because the early symptoms can be easily overlooked and mistaken for other illnesses.
With type 2 diabetes, it can take many years for symptoms to appear as the condition is caused by increasing insulin resistance.
When it comes to diagnosing diabetes, many people don’t get tested until they begin to experience symptoms such as frequent urination, excessive thirst and fatigue. In some cases, blood tests may be administered to individuals at risk if diabetes due to their age, family history, body mass index, or other factors.
Therefore, it is possible to have diabetes without knowing it for years at a time. However, it is important to get tested for diabetes as soon as possible to ensure proper management and reduce potential health risks.
Does walking help control diabetes?
Yes, walking can help to control diabetes. Regular physical activity can help people with diabetes to improve blood sugar control. Moderate-intensity exercise, such as walking, can also reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Walking can help to improve insulin sensitivity, which is the body’s ability to use insulin more efficiently, which can help to lower blood sugar levels. Additionally, walking can help to burn calories, decrease unhealthy body fat and lower cholesterol levels, all of which can help to improve overall health.
In addition to physical exercise, managing diabetes also involves making healthy dietary choices, taking prescribed medications as directed, and monitoring blood sugar levels regularly. Talking to a doctor or other healthcare provider can help diabetes sufferers to develop a tailored diabetes plan that will work best for them.
How long does end of life diabetes last?
End-of-life diabetes is a difficult concept to define as the needs of each person are unique and the progression of the disease is different for everyone. Generally speaking, the process of end-of-life diabetes can last anywhere from several days to several weeks, depending on the health of the individual.
The severity of end-of-life diabetes can range from mild to severe and can be difficult to predict. While it’s impossible to determine the exact timeline for each individual, there are certain signs and symptoms that can indicate when a person is approaching the end of their life due to diabetes.
These include increased difficulty with everyday activities, an increase in physical or mental exhaustion, continual deterioration of health, a decrease in appetite, extreme fatigue, frequent and/or severe hypoglycemic episodes, uncontrolled pain, and an overall decrease in quality of life.
It is very important that a person living with end-of-life diabetes has regular visits from a medical team to monitor their health and adjust treatments as needed. Hospice and palliative care services may also be recommended to support the individual and provide comfort and relief from their symptoms.
With proper care and understanding, end-of-life diabetes can be a peaceful and dignified experience.
Can diabetes cause sudden death?
Unfortunately, yes, diabetes can cause sudden death. This happens when patients experience a severe hypoglycemic episode, which is when their blood sugar level becomes dangerously low. Such an episode can cause sudden unconsciousness and even death if medical attention is not administered in time.
In addition, heart disease, one of the most common complications of diabetes, increases the risk of sudden death. People with diabetes are at an increased risk of developing several different types of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and stroke, as well as peripheral artery disease, which can all lead to sudden death.
Other risk factors for sudden death in people with diabetes include age, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and glycemic control. Proper management of diabetes is essential for reducing the risk of sudden death, which is why it’s important for those with diabetes to take the appropriate steps for managing their condition.
Steps for managing diabetes involve eating a balanced diet, consistent physical activity, stress reduction, and regular monitoring of blood sugar levels.
Can your organs shut down from diabetes?
Yes, organs can shut down from diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond to insulin. When left untreated, diabetes can lead to serious, life-threatening complications, including organ failure.
Organ failure caused by diabetes occurs when the body’s cells become so damaged that they can no longer function properly, leading to cell death, organ damage, and eventually organ shutdown. Diabetes affects different organs in different ways.
The kidneys are at particular risk of damage due to the condition since they help filter blood sugar and chemical waste in the body. In severe cases, kidney failure can occur due to damage from diabetes.
People with diabetes can also experience organ failure in the liver, which can cause the liver to become unable to process toxins or chemicals effectively. Additionally, some people may develop cardiovascular damage due to diabetes, which can cause a heart attack or stroke.
Diabetes can also cause organ failure in the lungs, leading to difficulty breathing and, in extreme cases, death. To avoid organ failure due to diabetes, it’s important to seek treatment for the disease as soon as possible and to consistently follow the doctor’s prescribed treatment plan.
