As if living with diabetes wasn’t already hard enough, other long-term, life-threatening complications that develop naturally can make the disease that much more difficult. Here are five common complications that may come along with diabetes.

 

1. Alzheimer’s disease

Type 2 diabetes is believed to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease – and the less controlled that your blood sugar is, the greater your risk.

2. Hearing loss

There are 35 million Americans living with some form of hearing loss, and according to the American Diabetes Association, many of these people have diabetes or prediabetes. Additionally, a recent study found that people with diabetes are twice as likely to experience hearing loss compared to those who aren’t diabetic. While it certainly seems that hearing problems are more common among those with diabetes, there’s still more research that needs to be done regarding the link between diabetes and hearing loss.

3. Cardiovascular disease

Once you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, your risk for developing coronary artery disease, chest pain (angina), heart attack and heart disease increases.

4. Kidney damage

Did you know that your kidneys contain millions of tiny blood vessel clusters that empty out waste from your blood? Well, when you have diabetes, this filtering process gets disrupted, which can lead to kidney failure or end-stage kidney disease.

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5. Nerve damage

Too much sugar can be damaging to the capillaries, which are essential when it comes to nourishing your nerves. And when your nerves don’t receive the nourishment they need, you could experience numbness in your legs and/or other affected limbs.

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