Diabetics who do not properly manage their blood glucose level are at an increased risk of developing dental problems. If your sugar levels are all over the place, you will not produce enough saliva, and the amount of sugar in your mouth will also increase. The resulting condition of your dry mouth can lead to ulcers, infections, and tooth decay. Monitoring and maintaining the proper blood glucose levels for your body is important, especially to prevent oral problems.

Because people with diabetes generally have poor blood circulation, they may not feel any pain or discomfort until their dental problems are at an advanced stage. As such, the diabetic should examine their mouths and look for any of the following:

• Tender or swollen gums
• Bleeding whenever brushing or flossing teeth
• Pus oozing from gums
• Teeth that seem to be longer than normal or seem to be moving away from each other
• For denture wearers, look out for loosely fitting pieces or dentures that no longer fit the way they used to

Diabetics who are not in control of their sugar level will find that, over time, they will get severe toothaches. This happens because the blood flow to the gums is reduced.  The ramifications to toothaches are obvious - you will not be able to chew properly due to pain. If you cannot chew, you may be tempted to skip meals or not eat a well balanced meal.

If you notice any of these signs you need to see your dentist immediately. Like everyone else, the person living with diabetes must visit their dentists at least twice per year.

Whether or not you have diabetes you should develop good dental care habits. This means brushing and flossing daily.  Use a soft-bristled brush so that you reduce the chance of irritating your gums. Ideally, you should try to brush at least twice per day and once being before going to bed. Make sure to brush your gums and tongue as well. To make sure that your toothbrush is in good condition, change it every three months. Flossing once a day is also vital to good dental health. Always rinse thoroughly after flossing to remove food particles from between the teeth.

The percentage of adult Americans who have had some form of dental or gum disease is staggering. Oral hygiene is a must to preventing tooth decay and ultimate loss of teeth.  With the circulatory problems that the diabetic faces, diabetics are at an even greater risk of developing some form of dental disease. To ensure that you keep your natural teeth for most, if not all, of your lifetime, you should begin to practice good dental care, combined with careful monitoring and control of your blood glucose levels.

To learn more go to Diabetes Discussion and at Diabetes Information

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Here are a few common emotions shown by type 1 diabetics on their diagnosis:

1. Confusion

A state of utter confusion can prevail over both the family of the diabetic and the diabetic person.

The person is treated differently by everyone which is not necessary because a diabetic is as normal as anybody else except that the person cannot produce insulin himself and needs an outside source.

It is just a matter of time that a person with diabetes accepts the fact and decides to move on with it.

2. Denial

As soon as a person is diagnosed with diabetes, his/her first reaction is that they are not able to accept the fact that it has happened to them.

They deny any possibility of having diabetes. This only makes the person’s and the family’s adaptations to the diagnoses more difficult.

3. Sadness

When they finally do accept the fact of their condition, they become very sad because they tend to think they aren’t normal human beings anymore and that they are different from the others and will never be able to do what the others without diabetes can do.

The best way to get over these emotions is to talk to your Diabetologist and other people who also have type 1 diabetes for sometime. This will make you and your parents feel much better and you can adjust to your new condition faster and in a better way.

In New Delhi where I live, we have formed a Type 1 Diabetic group called GYD, “Group of Young Diabetics”. Our Diabetologist organizes regular contact programmes among our group members. Participation of parents alongwith the diabetic is compulsory. We all share our experiences as a diabetic and as parents of diabetic children and young adults. We also keep in touch through email and other modes of communication.

During these meets, our Diabetologist also arranges presence of various high profile medical professionals from India and abroad from whom we get lot of help, tips and news about medical advancements in various parts of the world in the field of diabetes.

This has helped me and my parents to get over the initial shock and accept my condition as something that is not a serious anamoly. Such physical meetings give you a lot of confidence to cope up with this situation apart from learning lot of new things from others in the form of ideas and advice.

You could also create such a contact group in your local area. Let me honestly tell you that it will help you and your parents a lot.

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The long term complications of type 1 diabetes affect the lives of many diabetics in a rather severe fashion. Research for a permanent cure for type 1 diabetes is under way around the world. And, we can expect a cure in the next 3 to 5 years.

But, if the diabetic develops these long term complications due to neglect of his / her diabetic condition, then there is no point in curing the diabetes alone as several other parts of the body would have already got damaged beyond repair.

So, please ensure that you take your type 1 diabetes seriously and proper care, treatment and control are exercised.

I am publishing all these articles on my type 1 diabetes so that others learn from my mistakes, avoid them and realise that their condition is serious. I also hope to make others understand that they can lead a normal life when they keep their diabetes under control.

The three most common body parts affected due to uncontrolled blood sugar levels over prolonged periods of time are:

1. Eyes
2. Kidneys
3. Nerves

EYE PROBLEMS

1. Cataracts

Cataracts are small thickenings in the eye lens. Damage to the lens is believed to be caused by sorbitol, a compound made in the lens from glucose.

It occurs when blood glucose levels have been very high in the body for a long time.

They may show some improvement if the blood sugar levels are maintained.

2. Retinopathy

Retinopathy refers to small changes of the retina, which is the layer of tissue at the back of the eye.

This part of the eye has many small blood vessels similar to those found in the kidney.

Diabetes mellitus damages the retinal vessels resulting in a condition called diabetic retinopathy which could eventually lead to blindness.

Diabetic retinopathy occurs because of:

• Duration of Diabetes after puberty
• Degree of blood sugar control
• Increased blood pressure resulting in greater risk for retinal changes
• Use of Tobacco makes these changes progress more rapidly
3. “Pre-Proliferative” and “Proliferative” Retinopathy

Usually involves formation of new (proliferative) and fragile retinal blood vessels, which are at a greater risk of breaking (hemorrhaging).

The more severe changes are referred for laser therapy.

4. Vitreous Hemorrhage

Vitreous Hemorrhage occurs when retinal blood vessels rupture and bleed into the vitreous humor. The effects of a hemorrhage can be limited to a few dark spots in vision or, in the case of a severe vitreous hemorrhage, can result in completely obscured vision.

5. Retinal Detachment

A retinal detachment is a separation of the retina from its connection at the back of the eye. The separation usually results from a tear (i.e., a rent or rip, not a tear drop) in the retina.

The tear often occurs when the vitreous gel pulls loose or separates from its attachment to the retina, usually in the outside edges of the eye. The vitreous is a clear gel that fills most of the inside of the eye between the retina and the lens. If the retina is weak when the vitreous gel pulls loose, the retina will tear. This rip is sometimes accompanied by bleeding, or hemorrhage, if a blood vessel is also torn.

KIDNEY PROBLEMS

It is one of the most feared of the complications of diabetes and is refered to as Nephropathy.

When blood sugar levels are very high, sugar is passed in the kidneys filtering system (the Glomerulus). When this happens, the pressures are higher in the kidney filtering system and changes in the small blood vessels can occur.

This increased pressure causes damage to the filtering system so that some proteins leaking through the filter appear in the urine.

It is more likely to occur in people:

1. After puberty
2. Who have diabetes for a long time
3. With poor sugar control
4. With elevated blood pressures
5. Who smoke or chew tobacco

Symptoms of Kidney Disease may include:

1. Increased blood pressure
2. Ankle Swelling
3. Excessive urine protein spillage
4. Elevation of waste materials in the blood (increased blood creatinine and urea nitrogen also called BUN)

NERVE DAMAGE

Diabetic Neuropathy is a condition seen in people after puberty who have had elevated blood sugar levels for a long time.

It is a complex condition that is still not completely understood.

As with cataracts, neuropathy is related, at least in parts, to increased sorbitol levels deposited in the nerves.

It also decreases another compound which is important for the nerves called myoinositol.

Symptoms of Neuropathy are:

1. Numbness, tingling, sharp pains in the lower legs or feet
2. Gastroparesis (i.e the rate at which food moves through the intestines may change.)

Sources:

Some of the technical information have been taken from articles at Answers.com.

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Erectile dysfunction or ED is the repeated inability to get or keep an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse. ED can result in a total inability to get an erection, the ability to get an erection is inconsistent or a person can get an erection only for a short duration.

In the United States, an estimated 30 million males suffer from some form of ED. Erectile Dysfunction can be because of psychological or physical causes.

Around 10 to 20 percent of ED are caused by psychological reasons like anxiety, depression, stress, low self-esteem, guilt and fear of sexual failure.

Physical reasons include damage to nerves, arteries, smooth muscles, and fibrous tissues, often as a result of disease, is the most common cause of ED. Diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, chronic alcoholism, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, vascular disease, and neurologic disease account for about 70 percent of ED cases.

Around 50 percent of men with diabetes experience ED within 10 years of diagnosis. Diabetes causes problems of blood flow and nerve damage in the penis just as it causes blood vessel and nerve damage in different parts of the body.

Diabetes also causes complications like coronary artery disease (CAD), Cholesterol and high blood pressure. All these complications also lead to erectile dysfunction on their own but combined with diabetes, there are higher chances of getting ED.

Certain medications that you take for blood pressure or other antidepressants are also known to cause ED. You need to consult with your doctor, if you suspect ED.

Some form of ED can be treated through simple lifesytle changes, by quitting smoking, losing body weight or increasing your physical activity through some form of exercise.

Certain well known prescription medications that are used to treat ED are Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. All these medications work the same way by increasing the blood flow to the penis. You need to take these medicines around half an hour before sexual intercourse and they are generally effective for around 4 to 5 hours.

These prescription medications do have serious side effects. So, discuss your complete medical history with your doctor along with all the medications that you take and let the doctor decide the best treatment that you need to receive for your erectile dysfunction problem.

Sources:

There is an excellent article written by Debra Manzella at About.com regarding Diabetes and Erectile Dysfunction.

If you need detailed information on ED, then look at the government site NIDDK, NIH.

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