Many people with diabetes have what's often called Metabolic Syndrome, a "cluster" of other health problems in addition to diabetes. These other problems include high blood pressure, bad cholesterol and obesity. Many researchers believe that the Metabolic Syndrome may be associated with insulin resistance, a condition in which your body does not use insulin well and is common with type 2 diabetes.
The biggest problem for people with diabetes is heart and blood vessel disease. Heart and blood vessel disease can lead to heart attacks and strokes. It also causes poor blood flow (circulation) in the legs and feet.
Diabetes can change some of the substances in the blood, causing the openings in the blood vessels to narrow or completely clog up. This results in a blockage or slowdown of blood flowing in the body. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel leading to or in the brain becomes blocked.
Your kidneys help clean waste products from your blood. They also work to keep the right balance of salt and fluid in your body.
Too much glucose in your blood is very hard on your kidneys. After a number of years, high blood glucose can cause the kidneys to stop working. This condition is called kidney failure. If your kidneys stop working, you'll need dialysis (using a machine or special fluids to clean your blood) or a kidney transplant.
Diabetes Basics