The Underlying

Effects of Diabetes
Lucia Zhang

Diabetes Overview
Body unable to produce or use insulin
Blood sugar imbalances
Treat with insulin injections
Patient can lead normal life

Underlying Effects
Many side effects of disease pose greater harms
Increase risk of dementia
Cause blindness
Impair blood vessel growth/repair

Decreased Cognitive Abilities

Less effective memory
Worse constructional abilities
Decreased verbal fluency, psychomotor speed,
mental flexibility and abstract reasoning

The Hisayama Study

Followed 828 diabetic patients
8.8% dementia incidence
Statistically significant
association between diabetes
and dementia
Effects are fatal

Diabetic Retinopathy
White blood cell adhesion

Endothelial damage

Macular Edema
Leading cause of blindness

Treatments
Anti-VEGF therapy
Intraocular steroid injection
Laser surgery

Impaired Blood Vessel Growth

Diabetic EPCs exhibited
lowered adherence to a
HUVEC culture
Low adherence and
proliferation of EPCs impair
tubulization
Unable to repair blood vessels
after blood clot

Sources
Gardner, Thomas. "Diabetic Retinopathy." Kellogg Eye Center.
University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2016
Joussen, Antonia M., et al. "A central role for inflammation in the
pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy." The FASEB journal 18.12 (2004):
1450-1452.
Pasquier, F., A. Boulogne, and D. Leys. "Diabetes mellitus and
dementia." Diabetes & metabolism 32.5 (2006): 403-414.
Tepper, Oren M., et al. "Human endothelial progenitor cells from type II
diabetics exhibit impaired proliferation, adhesion, and incorporation
into vascular structures." Circulation 106.22 (2002): 2781-2786.