Type 2 Diabetes: Living With Complications

Cause

Complications from type 2 diabetes may be caused by one or all of the following:

• Damage to the lining of the blood vessels throughout your body, contributing to development of plaque
• Damage to the nerves that reduces or blocks their ability to send messages to your organs, legs and arms, and other parts of your body. Nerve damage can also affect information getting back to the brain.
• Changes to your immune system that decrease your body's ability to fight infection
• Damage to the filtering cells in the kidneys, causing a buildup of toxins

The damage results from hormonal and cellular changes caused by excess sugar (glucose) in your body.

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Author:	Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS	Last Updated: August 9, 2007
Medical Review:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism
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