Diabetic vascular disease is not to be taken lightly. It is all too common in diabetics, and many people can develop more than one diabetic vascular disease, which of course really complicates things. The condition refers to the blockages in the arteries that develop because of diabetes. You may be more familiar with the term “hardening of the arteries”. It’s really the same thing.

There are several vascular diseases related to diabetes, and unfortunately a diabetic isn’t limited to developing just one. Some of the diabetic vascular disease conditions you may subject yourself to if blood sugar levels aren’t controlled properly include:

  • Retinopathy – this is the abnormal growth of the blood vessels in the retina, which is part of your eye.
  • Nephropathy – a kidney disease
  • Neuropathy – a condition in the nerves that cause a loss of sensation that is needed to warn you of other conditions like infections in the feet.
  • Peripheral vascular disease – a general description of any circulatory disease or disorder that occurs outside of the brain and heart.

Diabetic vascular disease brings on a multitude of trouble. It is vital that the diabetic manages their condition in every aspect or serious problems like blindness, severe kidney disease, heart attack, stroke, or sores in the foot that can lead to gangrene, which often ends up with amputation.

 

Diabetic Peripheral Vascular Disease

 

A diabetic vascular disease known as peripheral vascular disease is the most common artery disease. It is caused by fatty tissue that builds up within the blood vessels, or atherosclerosis. Peripheral diabetic vascular disease is a slow and gradual process where the artery becomes blocked, narrowed, or weakened over time. Over a period of time, high blood sugar levels associated with uncontrolled diabetes damages the blood vessels and make them weakened or cause them to narrow. And a lot of diabetics that don’t control their condition also have high blood pressure and high blood fat content. This just accelerates the atherosclerosis.

Since the damage happens gradually, many people don’t realize they have it, so it’s important to be on the lookout for symptoms which include:

  • Pain in the legs, calves, thighs or hips while walking or climbing stairs but subsides when you rest
  • Cramps that start with exercise and stop when you rest
  • Buttock pain
  • Numbness or tingling in the legs, or a wek feeling in the legs
  • Loss of leg hair
  • Constant cold sensation in the feet, or color change to blue or dark reddish
  • Impotence in men

 

What is the Outlook if Peripheral Diabetic Vascular Disease is Developed?

 

Managing your diabetes in all the normally described ways is the best way to prevent diabetic vascular disease of any type. If untreated, diabetic peripheral vascular disease will leave you with permanent numbness and tingling in the legs. Even worse, it can lead to permanent pain and aching of the legs. Chronic pain can really change your life in a way you won’t like.

People with peripheral diabetic vascular disease are at a permanent higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Perhaps the most serious of the conditions untreated peripheral diabetic vascular disease can lead to is gangrene. It is the result of not enough blood getting to a part of the body (usually and extremity) and causing the skin tissue to die and decay. The only treatment is amputation.

So, you can learn how to manage your diabetes in all the right ways or risk, among other things, amputation. The choice should be obvious.