Hamburg (dpa) - Diabetics are not only at higher risk of suffering
a heart attack or stroke, they are also more susceptible to diseases
of the eyes, kidneys and nervous system.
But in cases where blood-sugar levels are well controlled, and
blood pressure and blood fat levels reduced, the risk is lower,
according to Jens Kroeger from Germany's Centre for Diabetology in
Hamburg.
Writing in the health magazine, Neue Apotheken Illustrierte,
Kroeger says sugar levels are not the single, most important cause of
narrowed blood vessels, but the interplay between blood-sugar,
pressure and fat.
Kroeger has based his stance on a medical study carried out by
researchers in Denmark. Around 80 per cent of diabetics examined in
the study developed damage to their retinas during the 20 years
following diagnosis.
A third showed signs of damage to their nervous system and
one-fifth had problems with their kidneys.
"About half of all new dialysis patients are diabetics," says
Kroeger. Together with higher blood pressure and raised blood-fat
levels, obesity is another high risk cause of diabetes.
Kroeger recommends beginning every therapy of type 2 diabetes with
intensive education of what constitutes the disease.
Copyright 2009 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH