Type 1 Diabetes: Living With Complications

These factors can contribute to your developing complications from type 1 diabetes.

• Having one complication. If you have one complication from diabetes, you have a higher chance of getting other complications.
• Ongoing high blood sugar over time. If your blood sugar levels are high most of the time, you have a higher chance of getting complications.
• Length of time you have the disease. The longer you have diabetes, even if you control your blood sugar, the more likely you are to develop complications.
  • Diabetic retinopathy. About 60% of people with type 1 diabetes get diabetic retinopathy after 10 years. Almost all have it to some degree after 20 years.³ About 25% get the advanced stage (proliferative retinopathy) after 15 years.³
  • Diabetic nephropathy. Diabetic nephropathy eventually occurs in 20% to 30% of all people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.⁴ Without treatment to slow kidney disease, most people with type 1 diabetes will move from the early stage to the advanced stage of nephropathy in 10 to 15 years.⁴ Children who get nephropathy usually show the first signs of the condition after puberty.
  • Heart and large blood vessel disease. About 73% of adults with diabetes have high blood pressure. People with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to die from heart disease or to have a stroke.⁵
  • Diabetic neuropathy. Most people with diabetes develop some diabetic neuropathy over the years. But only about 13% to 15% of people with diabetes have symptoms of neuropathy.⁶
• Other risk factors. Other factors that can raise your chance of getting complications include:
  • Smoking.
  • High blood pressure.
  • High cholesterol.
  • Family history of heart disease.
  • Peripheral arterial disease.
  • Psychiatric disorders (such as depression).
  • Family history of diabetic complications.
  • Not having health insurance for supplies and other medical expenses related to diabetes.