Chronic complications (long-term) of blood vessels

Chronic complications tend to evolve over years or decades. Often, there is damage before there are symptoms so routine screening is recommended to catch and treat problems before they occur or get worse. Excess blood glucose is at the root of the problem. Normally, blood vessel cells form a tight tube to keep blood inside the blood vessel; they also regulate what chemicals pass between the tissues and the blood.

Chronic high blood glucose levels overwhelm the blood vessel cells’ ability to burn the sugar. Ultimately, the cells weaken and die faster than the body can repair or replace them.

Also, damage occurs when excess sugar sticks to proteins inside the cell or in connective tissue throughout the body. This is particularly true of blood vessel walls, the heart and tendons.

Problems include:

• Vision loss or blindness
• Kidney damage or failure
• Nerve pain and damage
• Foot problems
• Cardiovascular disease
• High blood pressure
• Dental problems
• Hand problems
• Skin complications

When it comes to blood glucose levels, the closer to normal the better. Scientific studies have shown that controlling blood glucose helps prevent Diabetes complications.

Individual thresholds for developing complications vary from person to person. Having multiple medical risks factors, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, make people more prone to complications. So, it makes sense that everyone tries to achieve blood glucose levels as close to normal as is safely possible – for as long as possible.

For both acute and chronic complications, tight control of blood glucose is the best treatment. Other interventions that help keep complications to a minimum include:

• Controlling blood pressure
• Controlling blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Controlling your weight
• Exercising
• Not smoking
• Regular screening