What happens if you ignore diabetes?

If type 2 diabetes goes untreated, the high blood sugar can affect various cells and organs in the body. Complications include kidney damage, often leading to dialysis, eye damage, which could result in blindness, or an increased risk for heart disease or stroke.
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What will happen if you leave diabetes untreated?

If left untreated, diabetes can lead to devastating complications, such as heart disease, nerve damage, blindness, kidney failure and amputations. And the risk of death for adults with diabetes is 50 percent higher than for adults without diabetes.
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What happens if you ignore symptoms of diabetes?

It's hard to ignore the signs of type 1 diabetes because symptoms can often appear quite quickly. But leaving it untreated can lead to serious health problems, including diabetic ketoacidosis, which can result in a potentially fatal coma.
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How long can you survive with untreated diabetes?

A 55-year-old male with type 2 diabetes could expect to live for another 13.2–21.1 years, while the general expectancy would be another 24.7 years. A 75-year-old male with the disease might expect to live for another 4.3–9.6 years, compared with the general expectancy of another 10 years.
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What does untreated diabetes feel like?

Uncontrolled diabetes means your blood sugar levels are too high, even if you're treating it. And you may have symptoms such as peeing more often, being thirsty a lot, and having other problems related to your diabetes.
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Reversing Type 2 diabetes starts with ignoring the guidelines | Sarah Hallberg | TEDxPurdueU



What are 10 warning signs of diabetes?

Early signs and symptoms of diabetes
  • Frequent urination. When your blood sugar is high, your kidneys expel the excess blood sugar, causing you to urinate more frequently. ...
  • Increased thirst. ...
  • Fatigue. ...
  • Blurred vision. ...
  • Increased hunger. ...
  • Unexplained weight loss. ...
  • Slow healing cuts and wounds. ...
  • Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet.
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What color is diabetic urine?

Diabetes can cause cloudy urine when too much sugar builds up in your urine. Your urine may also smell sweet or fruity. Diabetes can also lead to kidney complications or increase risk of infections of the urinary tract, both of which can also make your urine appear cloudy.
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Is type 2 diabetes a death sentence?

The diagnosis of diabetes is NOT a death sentence. Terrible outcomes, like blindness, amputations and kidney problems, are largely preventable. Thanks to modern medicine, people developing diabetes today have an excellent chance of living long, healthy lives, free from serious complications.
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What is the last stage of diabetes?

What is end-stage diabetes? While “end-stage diabetes” isn't a commonly used term, diabetes can lead to what's known as end-stage diabetic complications, or advanced complications. In people with diabetes, advanced complications, like end-stage renal disease, occur after many years of living with diabetes.
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Is diabetes 1 or 2 worse?

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes can have very serious side effects if they are not diagnosed or managed well. One is not better or worse than the other. Both conditions require careful and mindful management. If your cells do not get the sugar they need to function, they will begin to die.
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How long does it take for diabetes to damage?

5. How long does it take for kidneys to become affected? Almost all patients with Type I diabetes develop some evidence of functional change in the kidneys within two to five years of the diagnosis. About 30 to 40 percent progress to more serious kidney disease, usually within about 10 to 30 years.
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How do you know when a diabetic is dying?

weight loss. fatigue. numbness in fingers/toes. wounds that are slow to heal.
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Can I ignore type 2 diabetes?

"But we shouldn't be so patient that they're allowed to ignore their diabetes for years," she adds. Over time, uncontrolled high blood sugar levels can lead to serious complications: eye diseases such as glaucoma, kidney disease, and foot ulcers that can result in amputation.
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How does diabetes make you feel?

Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes high blood sugar levels. Early signs and symptoms can include frequent urination, increased thirst, feeling tired and hungry, vision problems, slow wound healing, and yeast infections.
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What are the 3 most common symptoms of undiagnosed diabetes?

The three most common symptoms of undiagnosed diabetes include increased thirst, increased urination, and increased hunger. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that happens when blood sugar (glucose) is too high (hyperglycemia).
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Can I treat diabetes myself?

Although there's no cure for type 2 diabetes, studies show it's possible for some people to reverse it. Through diet changes and weight loss, you may be able to reach and hold normal blood sugar levels without medication. This doesn't mean you're completely cured. Type 2 diabetes is an ongoing disease.
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Do diabetics smell?

The fat-burning process creates a buildup of acids in your blood called ketones, which leads to DKA if untreated. Fruity-smelling breath is a sign of high levels of ketones in someone who already has diabetes. It's also one of the first symptoms that doctors look for when they check for DKA.
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How long can diabetics live?

The combined diabetic life expectancy is 74.64 years—comparable to the life expectancy in the general population.
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Why does a diabetic sleep so much?

Cells need insulin to absorb glucose from the blood. If the cells do not take in enough glucose, it can build up in the blood. The cells need glucose to provide energy. Fatigue and weakness might result when the cells do not get enough glucose.
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Does diabetes worsen with age?

About 1 in 4 adults over age 60 have diabetes. Having the disease makes you more likely to get some serious complications. And so does getting older. The combination of the two can even make some health problems worse.
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Does diabetes shorten your life?

1, 2010 -- Diabetes cuts about 8.5 years off the life span of the average 50-year-old compared to a 50-year-old without diabetes, new research indicates. The study also shows that older adults with diabetes have a lower life expectancy at every age compared to people who do not have the disease.
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Can you live a normal life with diabetes?

However, there is good news – people with type 1 diabetes have been known to live for as long as over 85 years with the condition. As noted above, recent studies into life expectancy are showing significant improvement in life expectancy rates for people with type 1 diabetes born later in the 20th century.
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Does diabetes cause hair loss?

People with diabetes are more likely to have a condition called alopecia areata. With alopecia, the immune system attacks the hair follicles, leading to patches of hair loss on the head and on other parts of the body. Diabetes itself can lead to hair loss.
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What are the first warning signs of type 2 diabetes?

Early Signs and Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes
  • More thirst. When sugar builds up in your blood, your kidneys work overtime to get rid of it. ...
  • More hunger. ...
  • Peeing often. ...
  • Dry mouth. ...
  • Weight loss without trying. ...
  • Fatigue. ...
  • Blurry vision. ...
  • Headaches.
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Can you smell sugar in your urine?

Urine may smell sweet if it contains extra glucose, which is a type of sugar. Diabetes is a common causes of this, but the smell of someone's urine can also change for other reasons.
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