What Increases Your Risk Of Complications

You are more likely to get complications from type 2 diabetes if:

• Your blood sugar stays high over time. Your risk for complications increases if your blood sugar gets too high and stays high too long.
• You have had the disease for a long time. The longer you have diabetes, the more likely you are to have some related health problems. This can happen even if your blood sugar levels are controlled.
  • Kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy) occurs in 20 to 30 people out of 100 who have type 2 diabetes.²
  • Eye disease (diabetic retinopathy) occurs within 20 years after diagnosis in more than 60 people out of 100 with type 2 diabetes.³
  • Most people with diabetes start to get some nerve damage (diabetic neuropathy) over the years. But only about half of the people who get neuropathy have noticeable symptoms.⁴
• You already have one complication. If you have one diabetes-related problem, you are at a higher risk for getting another one.
• You have other risk factors, such as:
  • Smoking.
  • High blood pressure.
  • High cholesterol.

People with untreated depression are also more likely to have complications. For more information, see the topic Depression.

For tips on how to reduce your risk, see the Home Treatment and Preventing Complications sections of this topic.