What health problems can diabetes cause?
Diabetes can be a dangerous and life-threatening disease if you don’t control your blood sugar level. Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage your eyes, blood vessels, nerves and kidneys. Here are some of the problems (also called complications) diabetes can cause: Blindness and vision loss (called diabetic retinopathy): Diabetes can damage the small blood vessels in the retina, which can cause vision loss and even blindness. For more information, read our Diabetes: Eye Care handout. Heart disease: People who have diabetes are twice as likely to have heart disease and damage to the blood vessels in the heart. This increases their risk of heart attack and stroke. For more information, read our Diabetes and Heart Disease handout. Nerve and blood vessel damage (called diabetic neuropathy): Damage to blood vessels in the legs can limit the supply of blood to the nerves in the legs and feet. This can cause burning, tingling and numbness in the affected areas (usually starting in the t
