Understanding complications

Problems that arise as a result of diabetes can be categorised as acute or chronic:

• Acute complications can occur at any time and they are sometimes the presenting symptom that leads to a diagnosis of diabetes. Acute complications include hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia, hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state (HHS) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which are all metabolic in nature
• Chronic complications often involve the damage to blood vessels that occurs as a result of high blood glucose levels over a long period of time which, in turn, can cause an increase in the level of fats in the blood stream. Chronic complications can be macrovascular or microvascular in origin.

Macrovascular complications involving the larger blood vessels include cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in people with type 2 diabetes, and peripheral arterial disease, which can impact on the extremities, such as the feet. 

This module deals with microvascular complications: retinopathy, nephropathy, peripheral neuropathy and autonomic neuropathy.