If diabetes goes untreated and blood sugar levels remain chronically high, it can lead to extremely serious health complications over time. Some major risks of leaving diabetes untreated include:
– Cardiovascular Disease – Uncontrolled diabetes dramatically escalates risk of heart disease, stroke, and poor circulation by damaging blood vessels and nerves.
– Nerve Damage (Neuropathy) – Excess sugar starts breaking down delicate nerve fibers leading to pain, numbness and even paralysis if crucial treatment time is lost.
– Kidney Disease (Nephropathy) – The kidneys rely on tiny filters to function properly which high glucose levels quickly start destroying leading to dangerous fluid retention and waste buildup.
– Eye Damage – Vision loss and blindness can unfold rapidly as elevated sugars corrode the eyes’ blood vessels (diabetic retinopathy). Close monitoring is key for intervention.
– Foot Damage – Nerve issues combine with reduced circulation to leave feet highly vulnerable to wounds not felt, leaving infections/ulcers to spiral toward gangrene and amputation without urgent care.
– Skin Complications – Bacterial and fungal infections thrive on excessive blood sugar on the skin leading cracking, blistering and slow healing.
If these warning signs go dismissed allowing blood glucose to remain toxic and the above issues to set in, they often snowball in a devastating domino effect. However, much of this anguish can be averted through proper diabetes management and vigilant monitoring for early intervention at first signs of complication risk.