Diabetes is a condition which is on the rise. It has become an epidemic hand in hand with obesity which is one of the leading causes of type two diabetes. One of the most dangerous things about this disease is that it’s almost invisible until it starts doing damage, this means that a lot of those who’re suffering from the effects of diabetes don’t know they’ve even got it until it’s too late.
Diabetes harms the body at a micro-vascular level. Essentially this means that it damages the very smallest of our blood vessels when blood-sugar levels get too high. Primarily the disease affects the eyes and the extremities as well as causing overwork and subsequent damage to the kidneys. The eyes are the most delicate organs in the body and diabetes causes very slight damage over time which can eventually lead to total blindness. The kidneys have to work extra hard to try and filter the blood and working them like that for too long will lead to them becoming permanently damage.
Nerve damage is a little different from the other two main issues caused by diabetes as it’s more or less impossible to detect unless you absolutely know what you’re looking for. It causes cuts and minor abrasions suffered in the feet to go unnoticed. These small wounds can get infected and should they continue to go unnoticed can lead to the necessitation for amputation as life-threatening gangrene sets in.
To counter this threat of amputation the government in Scotland has enacted a new scheme designed to keep diabetics in better health. This takes the form of foot-checks given by medical professionals, they’ll check for dangerous cuts and scrapes you may have missed and help keep your feet where they’re supposed to be! Time will tell whether this idea has the desired effect but, with over 1300 diabetic amputees in Scotland last year alone it’s hard to imagine how it could get much worse!
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