Diabetes complications
Many of the costs associated with diabetes are because of the complications that can come with the disease if it's not treated or managed properly. And so we know that high levels of blood glucose are associated with an increased risk of heart attack or stroke, and in fact, people with diabetes are at least two times more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke compared to those who don't have diabetes. And about half of all people with diabetes have some form of neuropathy, which can affect many different areas of the body, and neuropathy—simply meaning nerve damage—can cause tingling, pain or numbness in your feet; it might cause problems with bladder control, your intestinal tract and digestion, or your genitals, such as erectile dysfunction. We also know that the kidneys, which filter our blood from waste products, become overworked, and diabetes is one of the leading causes of kidney failure in the United States, along with high blood pressure. You can also see eye complications with diabetes, such as glaucoma, which is problems due to excess pressure in the vessels leading to the eyes.