How does diabetes begin to affect the eyes, nerves, and kidneys?

This is a great question as diabetes is a growing health concern in our society that can affect any age group.  Many people know diabetes is a serious medical condition and are informed that it involves elevated blood sugar levels; however, many people are unaware as to how unpleasant this condition can become as a result of chronically high blood sugar levels.  Unfortunately, most people find this out the hard way.

Aside from the acute conditions that can result from diabetes, there are also some serious long-term consequences of this condition.  Over time, diabetes will begin to damage the eyes, nerves, and kidneys. 

 When diabetes starts to affect the eyes, this is known as “diabetic retinopathy”.  This condition can eventually lead to significant visual impairment.  When diabetes damages the nerves it is known as “diabetic neuropathy”.  This can include loss of sensation, numbness, and also burning or prickling sensations that may be mild or very painful.  A large number of diabetic foot amputations result from this neuropathy.  Diabetes is the leading cause of renal disease and this is known as “diabetic nephropathy”. 

One of the main reasons why these areas of the body are targeted in diabetes is because these 3 tissues lack a specific enzyme.  When other tissues experience a high level of glucose, they will use a special enzyme to convert glucose.  When these 3 tissues experience high blood glucose levels, the glucose will not be converted and will build up in the form of “sorbitol”.  This sorbitol then gets into the cells of the eyes, nerves, and kidneys.  Once this happens these cells begin to swell and become damaged.  When this occurs, there is lots of oxidative damage as well because antioxidants will pour out of these cells.  When enough of these cells become damaged, the tissues themselves become less able to carry out their functions. 

There are some medications that are aimed at addressing these complications; however, these medications may be very ineffective or they may have significant side effects associated with them.  Fortunately, there are many natural treatments that can effectively manage these complications.  If you would like to find out more, you can call or email us or you can visit our Naturopath Newmarket website.

Yours in health,

Dr. Michael Morsillo, B.Sc., N.D.
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

Nature's Emporium
16655 Yonge St.
Newmarket, ON
905-898-1844
www.drmorsillo.com