Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by abnormally high blood sugars as a result of either insulin resistance or insufficient insulin production. The incidence of diabetes continues to dramatically increase with the American Diabetic Association estimating that 81 million Americans are currently either diabetic or prediabetic. Diabetes is a relentless disease. The complications of diabetes are extensive due to the progressive damage to the body's entire circulatory system. Without adequate blood sugar control medical complications such as heart attacks, kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage and extremity amputations are inevitable. How can you prevent the complications of diabetes?

Check and record your blood sugars regularly. This log of information is extremely valuable to your doctor and allows diabetic medication to be more accurately adjusted to maintain stable blood sugars.

Visit your doctor regularly and have lab work performed. A serum hemoglobin A1C should be obtained every 3 to 6 months depending on how well your blood sugars are controlled. A urine test for protein should be done annually as well.

See your eye doctor annually for a  retinal examination. Diabetic complications include retinal disease which is a leading cause of blindness.

Have your doctor check your feet for ulcers or sores. Perform a monofilament screen on both feet annually to monitor for neuropathy which is another complication of diabetes.

Be compliant with all your medications. Well controlled blood sugars are the best way to prevent the complications of diabetes.

Do not smoke. The complications of diabetes are difficult enough to prevent even when everything goes right. The addition of tobacco smoking makes the likelihood for complications almost a certainty.

Monitor your blood pressure at home. It's likely to be lowest at home while you're relaxed. If it's elevated even while at home it's likely that your blood pressure medication needs to be adjusted to help prevent the complications of diabetes.

Lose weight! Many diabetic experts believe that diabetes and it's complications are directly correlated with obesity. Some diabetics are able to reduce or even discontinue their blood sugar medications after they lose a significant amount of weight.