Skin Complications

Diabetes can affect any part of your body including your skin. Here are some of the general skin conditions that can occur due to diabetes:

Infections (Fungal/Bacteria)
Itching

Eye Complications

Diabetes can lead to several different eye complications from minor eye disorders to complete blindness. Some of the common complications include glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.

Cataracts
People with diabetes are about 60% more likely to suffer from cataracts. Cataract is the clouding of the clear lens in the eye. People with diabetes tend to develop cataracts at a younger age and progress faster than those without diabetes. Clouding of the eye can develop to a point where it is impossible for a person to see.
Diabetic retinopathy
Refers to all disorders related to the retina, caused by diabetes. Two main categories of retinal disorders are; proliferative and non-proliferative. Proliferative Retinopathy is when blood vessels in the retina are damaged to the point where they close up. To combat this, new blood vessels start growing in the retina. These new blood vessels are weak and can start leaking blood. This can progress to a point where the retina is pulled out of place. This advanced stage is called retinal detachment.

Non-proliferative retinopathy is when capillaries in the back of the eye balloon and form pouches. This can become severe as more and more blood vessels are blocked.
Glaucoma
People with diabetes are at a higher risk of glaucoma. In fact approximately 40% of diabetes patients are likely to suffer from glaucoma. Glaucoma occurs when pressure builds up in the eye. The pressure ultimately pinches blood vessels that carry blood to the retina and optic nerve. Loss of vision is gradual and caused by damage to the retina and optic nerve.

Neuropathy (Nerve Damage)

Neuropathy refers to nerve damage caused by diabetes. This is most prevalent in feet and hands. Many diabetic patients suffer from some form of neuropathy. However, this is most common in feet. Neuropathy can cause impairment of sensation (feeling) or motor skills (movement).

Foot Complications

Diabetes can be the cause of multiple foot complications. Loss of sensation or feeling in the limbs is the most common due to nerve damage where you lose the ability to feel pain heat or cold. This means that you may not feel injury, which means you may not notice it until the skin breaks down and results in an infection and ulceration.

People with diabetes must examine their feet regularly

Not recognizing and treating these ulcerations correctly may increase the risk of amputation. People with diabetes are 25 times more likely to face amputation than people who don’t have diabetes.

Over 1 million diabetes related amputations have been carried out in the world.

Stroke

A stroke usually happens when blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted. Any part of the brain can be affected and it can cause unilateral weakness. In severe cases it can cause partial or complete paralysis. It’s important to know that if you have diabetes, your risk of a stroke is 2 – 4 times higher than that of a person who does not have diabetes.

Heart Disease

Research shows that people with diabetes are at a much higher risk of heart disease than people who don’t have diabetes. Diabetes, heart disease and stroke are all linked to each other. If proper medical care is not provided these can quickly escalate and result in death. In fact, 2 out of 3 people with diabetes die of heart disease or stroke. What are common symptoms?

Angina – feeling a chest pain when exercising or exerting yourself.
Heart Attack – A heart attack occurs when blood flow to a part of your heart is blocked for a long enough time that part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies. Chest pain, pain in arms, back, jaw or stomach, shortness of breath, tiredness or fatigue can all be symptoms.

It’s important to remember that diabetes can cause nerve damage which means you may not feel any pain during the heart attack. If you have any of these symptoms seek immediate medical attention.

Kidney Disease

Nephropathy is the study of kidney and disease. Infection can damage kidney. and increase the blood sugar.

Pregnancy

Being overweight and stressed can cause diabetes in the middle of the pregnancy. This condition is reversible after pregnancy. Diabetes during pregnancy increases the risks with each pregnancy and can lead to complications in the mother and child. Diabetes during pregnancy will be a risk factor as the child is more prone to get diabetes later on in life.

Recently diagnosed?

It’s important to do regular check-ups to ensure that you are healthy. Many people who discover diabetes at a later stage could have prevented it if they noticed the risk factors early on. We will help you to take control of your Type 2 diabetes. So what should I do first?

Did you know that 40 – 50% of people don’t know that they have diabetes?

First steps:

Finding out that you have diabetes can be really scary, sad or hard to believe. But it doesn’t have to. First find out as much as you can about diabetes and what it entails. The biggest risk of having diabetes is the complications that come with it. Knowing more about diabetes and how you can take control of it will help you to manage the grave complications that arise as a result of diabetes.

Where can I get help?

The National Diabetes Center is a good place to start. We can help you with the lifestyle changes that you need to make to cope with diabetes. The NDC can help carry out regular tests and refer to the correct doctors for treatment.

Read about what can cause Diabetes and it’s triggers >>

About the DASL and NDC

The DASL was founded in 1984 as a non profit organization to fight diabetes in Sri Lanka. The headquarters of the DASL, the National Diabetes Center was established in 1995 in Rajagiriya. The NDC building and equipment were a result of generous donations from international and national organizations. The Sir Frank Gunasekera Trust and the Canada Development fund were the largest donors.

At the NDC, we provide several services for the general public to prevent diabetes and to care for those who are affected by diabetes.

Primary Prevention – lifestyle changes in terms of diet, exercise, managing stress and effects of diabetes are provided through the wellness clinic at the premises.
Secondary Prevention – after you are diagnosed with diabetes, the NDC helps deal with it’s effects and complications, care, controlling blood sugar levels and screenings to asses the level of complications.
Tertiary Prevention – the NDC will help in managing complications, refer doctors and surgeons and provide the necessary support required.

One of the main goals of the Diabetes Association of Sri Lanka is to educate and create awareness about the disease. To this end the DASL engages in many research projects to gather data regarding the penetration of diabetes within the island as well as carry out awareness and prevention programs at various locations. The fundamental goal is to encourage primary prevention by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Board of Trustees

Following is the board of trustees at the DASL and NDC.

Prof. Upendra Srinath Jayawickrama – Chair
Mr. S. Nihal Seneviratne
Dr. Ranjith Mahindapala
Desamanya C P de Silva
Mr. N. Jayasingam
Mr. Mahen Dayananda

Executive Committee

President: Mr. Mahen Ambani
Vice Presidents: Prof. Kusum de Abrew
Prof. Harsha Seneviratne
Prof. Saroj Jayasinghe
Hony. Secretary: Dr. Mahen Wijesuriya
Asst. Secretary: Dr. (Mrs) N. Chandra Silva
Hony. Treasurer: Mr. P. Karunanantham
Asst. Treasurer: Dr. Charith Seresinhe
Editor: Dr. K.D.P. Jayatilake

Committee Members:

Mr. Tissa Wijesinghe
Mr. Ashroff Hussain
Mr. G. Munasinghe
Dr. Prasad Katulanda
Mr. T.R. Murugiah
Prof. T.P. Weerarathna

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Screening Packages

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Includes FBS / Lipid Profile / HbA1c / Serum creatinine / ECG / Urine Albumin/Sugar / Microalbumin / Eye check including fundal / photography / Neuropathy Assessment / Full physical assessment / Doctor’s Consultation

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Includes FBS / Lipid Profile / HbA1c / Liver Profile / Renal Profile / ECG / Eye check including fundal / photography / Neuropathy Assessment / Full physical assessment / Doctor’s Consultation

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About Diabetes

Can I get Diabetes?

Managing Complications

Living with Diabetes