According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes occurs when the body either does not produce enough insulin or does not use what is produced properly. Insulin is a hormone which helps glucose, a simple sugar produced when the body converts food into energy, get into the cells. When glucose is unable to enter the cells, it builds up in the bloodstream. Over time, high glucose levels in the bloodstream can damage the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, eyes and nerves. Diabetes is a multi-factorial disease that affects the whole body eventually.
Most diabetics have hyperglycemia, an elevated glucose level.
Diabetes affects not only blood sugar levels, but all large and small blood vessels, causing decreased circulation and sensation in extremities. P.C. Joni-Jill Tobrocke, registered nurse and home dialysis coordinator at the Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital H.K. Freedman Renal Center, advises diabetics to keep tight control of blood sugar levels. When blood sugar is high, damage to blood vessels can occur. People with diabetes are more susceptible to vascular disease, and their bodies are not able to heal cuts and sores as easily. Maintaining tight control of blood sugar levels by monitoring levels at home every day using finger sticks is the best way to protect limbs, kidneys and eyesight.