Type 2 Diabetes is one of the most common afflictions Americans suffer from. Furthermore, the incidence in Jacksonville is well above state and national averages, as reported here.
It affects your entire body, including your feet. Over the coming weeks, we at On Your Feet will be posting articles pertaining to Diabetes and the havoc it will wreak to your lower extremities. Before doing so, we'd like to share some general complications of diabetes. If you have Type 2 diabetes, or are at risk, a good place to start reading would be here. However, here is a quick rundown on body parts to watch:
- Heart- Diabetics are many times more likely to be at risk of heart attack and stroke. High blood pressure is also very common.
- Eyes- Diabetes will be damaging to the retinas of your eyes. These are the parts of your eye that pick up images from the world and send them to your brain. This leads to loss of vision and blindness.
- Kidneys- Early on, diabetics will find themselves urinating more frequently and drinking more water. In later stages, there is a risk of kidney failure.
- FEET! - As this is a podiatry blog, we would be remiss to neglect the impact of diabetes on your feet. Many complications arise when blood has a harder time circulating through your feet. Other complications come from loss of sensation. In forthcoming blog entries, we will delve deeper into what kinds of problems diabetics face. Which brings us to the fifth complication…
- Amputation- It might be a toe, or it might be the whole foot. The loss of a body part is devastating, but it might be the only option to save a patient's life. Fortunately, your podiatrist will do everything to make sure that doesn't happen.
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