Diabetes topics
Diabetes and your body
Read the following information to help understand the effect that diabetes can have on your body.
Animation: diabetes and your body
Take a look at this animation showing some of the long-term effects of diabetes on the body.
Diabetes and your brain
A partial blockage of a blood vessel in or leading to the brain can cause symptoms such as temporary loss of speech and temporary paralysis.
Diabetes and your eyes
If you have diabetes, you are at risk of vision loss from diabetes retinopathy.
Diabetes and your heart
People with diabetes are often unaware that they may have narrowed blood vessels in the heart until they block completely, causing a heart attack.
Diabetes and your kidneys
Detection of early kidney damage is possible by testing the rate at which the kidneys are leaking a protein called albumin into the urine.
Diabetes can affect your eyes
Diabetes increases the risk of eye problems such as diabetic retinopathy, macular oedema, cataracts and glaucoma.
Diabetes can affect your feet
It is important to keep blood glucose levels within the normal range as this alone helps prevent many of the complications of diabetes, including foot problems.
Diabetes risk linked to recent weight change
Bariatric (weight loss) surgery dramatically reduces the risk of obese people developing diabetes or needing diabetes medicines, new research shows.
Pancreas and insulin
Your pancreas has 2 functions: producing digestive enzymes; and producing the hormones insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar.
Take a look at this animation showing some of the long-term effects of diabetes on the body.
Diabetes and your brain
A partial blockage of a blood vessel in or leading to the brain can cause symptoms such as temporary loss of speech and temporary paralysis.
Diabetes and your eyes
If you have diabetes, you are at risk of vision loss from diabetes retinopathy.
Diabetes and your heart
People with diabetes are often unaware that they may have narrowed blood vessels in the heart until they block completely, causing a heart attack.
Diabetes and your kidneys
Detection of early kidney damage is possible by testing the rate at which the kidneys are leaking a protein called albumin into the urine.
Diabetes can affect your eyes
Diabetes increases the risk of eye problems such as diabetic retinopathy, macular oedema, cataracts and glaucoma.
Diabetes can affect your feet
It is important to keep blood glucose levels within the normal range as this alone helps prevent many of the complications of diabetes, including foot problems.
Diabetes risk linked to recent weight change
Bariatric (weight loss) surgery dramatically reduces the risk of obese people developing diabetes or needing diabetes medicines, new research shows.
Pancreas and insulin
Your pancreas has 2 functions: producing digestive enzymes; and producing the hormones insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar.
