Is Diabetes A Threat To The Liver?

We are all swamped in our day-to-day lives, handling jobs or business or maintaining a healthy social life. Amidst all the hustle and bustle of life, we don’t often stop to appreciate all of the work our body’s organs do for us. Our liver is the largest among the solid organs in the body and is tasked with various crucial functions.  One of these functions is maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Diabetes is a severe threat to the liver and other organs as it causes high blood sugar levels.

Diabetes Mellitus is a disease that occurs when the body improperly makes too much or not enough insulin. This can result in high blood sugar levels in the body. The food that we consume produces blood sugar or blood glucose, which is our body’s primary energy source. This energy, however, cannot be used directly by the body. So, the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin that aids the glucose derived from the food to get absorbed into the cells, which can then be used for energy.

People who suffer from long-term diabetes suffer from many other illnesses, including a disabling condition. Many sufferers can apply for disability benefits for diabetes. Our lawyers have expertise and experience helping diabetes sufferers get Social Security benefits for their disability. Visit a website to see how a disability attorney can help you develop a plan of action and how to proceed further with disability claims for diabetes.

Effect of This Disease on the Body

In this ailment, the body fails to make enough insulin or properly use the insulin that it can produce. It causes the glucose to stay in the blood and not reach the cells. When this happens for a prolonged period, it gives rise to multiple health problems.

• Liver Damage:This ailment poses a severe threat to the liver, especially if someone is diagnosed with Type 2. Experts suggest monitoring the liver for a condition known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

The condition increases the risk of this condition even when a person consumes little or no alcohol. This condition causes excess fat to accumulate in the liver. The liver is tasked with regulating blood sugar, but extra fat in the liver causes it to be less responsive to insulin, which increases the quantity of glucose in the blood.  Type 2 increases the chance of having an even more severe form of NAFLD, known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The liver fat causes harmful inflammation, which causes scar tissues there. According to experts, this can lead to cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. NAFLD is hard to diagnose. It has few symptoms which range from pain in the upper right portion of the abdomen to unexplainable spikes in liver enzymes. Sometimes patients go for specific tests and find out that they have excess fat in their liver or scarring in tissues.

• Kidney Damage:Diabetes also damages the kidneys and tampers with their ability to filter toxins and various other waste products in the blood. Diabetic nephropathy is a kidney disease that is related to diabetes. Some symptoms of these conditions are seen only at later stages of the disease. If it is not diagnosed and treated early, kidney damage from diabetes can lead to irreversible kidney failure.

• Circulatory System:Diabetes increases the risk of high blood pressure, which puts a strain on the heart. High blood sugar levels lead to the creation and accumulation of fatty deposits in the walls of the blood vessels. If it is left unchecked for a long time, it can restrict blood flow and increase the risk of atherosclerosis which causes the blood vessels to harden. It also increases the chances of strokes and heart diseases.

• Nervous System:Diabetes does significant damage the nerves. Diabetic neuropathy affects how a person perceives heat, pain, and cold. It also increases a person’s susceptibility to injuries. If these injuries remain unnoticed for a long time, they may develop into more severe infections. Diabetic retinopathy leads to swollen and leaky blood vessels in the eye, damaging a person’s vision and even blindness.

It is a severe disease that affects almost all parts of the body, the liver, the heart, the circulatory system, and the skin. It causes severe nerve damage, visual and hearing impairment, etc.

Unfortunately, no cure exists for this condition at present. But the effects of this disease can be checked to some extent if diagnosed and treated in the early stages. That is why it is crucial to monitor one’s body and check for early signs of any symptoms to prevent diabetes from destroying the different organs in the body.