What are the symptoms of diabetes complications?
Disease description:
I am a diabetic patient, and recently I have been experiencing some numbness in my hands and feet. My vision also seems to be getting worse. I am very concerned that I might be developing complications. What are the symptoms of diabetes complications? For example, would there be symptoms such as itchy skin or foot ulcers?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Liu Feng
Diabetic complications are mainly divided into two categories: acute complications and chronic complications.
Acute complications:
1. Diabetic ketoacidosis: Typical symptoms include hyperglycemia, ketosis, metabolic acidosis, and dehydration, which may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, rapid breathing, etc., and can lead to coma in severe cases.
2. Hyperosmolar hyperglycemic syndrome: Common in elderly patients, characterized by severe hyperglycemia, elevated plasma osmolality, and impaired consciousness.
3. Hypoglycemia: Symptoms include palpitations, tremors, cold sweats, blurred vision, etc.
Chronic complications are more common and more harmful, mainly including:
1. Cardiovascular disease: Such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, myocardial infarction, etc., manifested as chest tightness, palpitations, shortness of breath, and other symptoms.
2. Neuropathy: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy can cause numbness, pain, or tingling in the hands and feet; autonomic neuropathy may lead to problems such as gastroparesis and urinary incontinence.
3. Retinopathy: There may be no obvious symptoms in the early stages, while in later stages, symptoms such as blurred vision, floaters, and even blindness may occur.
4. Kidney disease: In the early stages, there may only be microalbuminuria, which can progress to renal insufficiency in later stages, manifested as edema, hypertension, anemia, etc.
