UTIs, Skin Infections, Oral Infections, and More

High blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia, is the hallmark symptom of diabetes, and it puts extra stress on your body. That can impair the body’s immune system and allow bacteria and fungi to thrive from your mouth down to your feet.

“When the body is under high levels of stress, the immune system can be affected, resulting in a weaker and less robust response to infection,” says Lisal Folsom, MD, the medical director of the adult endocrinology division at the Wendy Novak Diabetes Institute at Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Kentucky.

• Higher levels of inflammation, which damage the body’s organs over time
• Blood vessel damage, which reduces healthy blood flow
• Neuropathy or nerve damage, which makes you more likely to tear your skin