Why is my doctor concerned that my blood sugars are high?

Poorly controlled blood sugar comes with risk and potential long term complications.  When you have a high concentration of sugar in your blood, if affects your body's ability to do its job effectively.  Damage can arise due to this increased concentration of sugar in your blood. 

What type of damage?  Read on to learn about some complication concerns.

• Amputations - high blood sugars can lead to damage to the nerves.  This damage can cause numbness or a loss of feeling in extremities.  This is why it is very important to check feet everyday to look for cuts, etc. that one may not be aware of.  High blood sugars also impair immune system function causing ordinary cuts to become infected.  If unnoticed, this can become severe and lead to amputation.
• Blindness - this is due to something called "retinopathy" which is damage to blood vessels that supply blood to the retina (a portion of the eye that senses light).  Retinopathy is the number one cause of new blindness among adults.
• Heart disease - having diabetes increases your risk for heart disease in several ways.  Poorly controlled blood sugars can lead to an increase in blood fats such as cholesterol and triglycerides.  High blood sugars can increase clotting ability causing increased risk of blockage of blood flow to tissues.  High blood pressure can also be of concern.
• Kidney disease - due to diminished effectiveness of vessels in the kidneys.  Kidneys clean or rid your blood of waste and toxins.  When vessels in the kidneys do not work effectively, these wastes or toxins stays in your body.  Dialysis or mechanical cleaning of blood is sometimes needed in severe cases.

Talk with your doctor or diabetes educator to learn about a healthy blood sugar goal for you.  Complications can occur, but with good control of blood sugars and regular visits to your doctor these may be avoided.