"I didn't expect things to happen so fast," he said. Because his vision affected his ride-sharing job, he switched to security work, reducing his income despite being his family's primary earner. When first diagnosed, feeling healthy, he became complacent, only taking medication for a few months before stopping altogether and skipping follow-up appointments.
Cases like Duy's, with complications arising within a few years, are not uncommon given the rapid rise of diabetes. Some individuals even discover they have diabetes only after experiencing complications. Take Ha, 55, who sought medical attention for numb feet and a slow-healing foot infection. He was then diagnosed with very high blood sugar and impaired kidney function. Previously, he had experienced unexplained thirst and rapid weight loss but didn't consult a doctor.
Doctor Hoang Thi Bich Ngoc of the outpatient department at Gia An 115 Hospital, said many patients newly diagnosed with diabetes already show kidney or retinal damage, or numbness from nerve damage upon examination.
"Patients are often surprised, believing complications take years to develop. But in reality, they may have started silently much earlier," she said.
A retrospective study published in BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, involving over 135,000 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients, found the average time to complication onset was just 3 to 5.2 years. 12.3% already had chronic kidney disease at diagnosis, while 3.3% had cardiovascular complications.
The International Diabetes Federation estimated 589 million people globally had diabetes in 2025, up from about 450 million 10 years prior. Diabetes increases the risk of stroke by 52%, heart attack by 60%, and coronary artery disease by 73%. Compared to those without diabetes, the risk of heart failure is 84% higher for those with the disease.
According to Professor Doctor Nguyen Thi Bich Dao, president of the Ho Chi Minh City Diabetes and Endocrinology Association, the most concerning aspect isn't the rapid increase in diabetes, but its dangerous complications affecting multiple organs. The disease often lacks early warning signs, silently causing kidney failure, stroke, heart failure, and heart attacks if blood sugar isn't well-managed.
Diabetes also causes blindness through retinal complications, cataracts, and glaucoma. Uncontrolled high blood sugar causes nerve damage, leading to numbness, tingling, and burning pain in the extremities, especially the feet. Severe cases can result in loss of sensation, foot ulcers, infections, and even amputation. Autonomic nerve damage can affect digestion, blood pressure, or bladder function.
Untreated diabetes can lead to complications like hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state, ketoacidosis, and lactic acidosis. Without prompt treatment, these can be fatal.
Doctor Ngoc identifies three main reasons why complications can arise within a few years of diagnosis. First, late detection. Type 2 diabetes progresses silently; many live with high blood sugar for years before diagnosis. Lacking symptoms, they don't seek medical help. By the time of diagnosis, complications may have already begun.
Second, poor initial blood sugar control. Some patients, even after diagnosis, don't change their lifestyle, maintain consistent treatment, or control their HbA1c levels. This allows damage to progress.
Third, contributing risk factors like high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, smoking, obesity, and lack of exercise accelerate vascular and nerve damage.
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Doctor Ngoc examines a patient. Photo: Nguyet Thu |
Doctor Ngoc examines a patient. Photo: Nguyet Thu
Experts emphasize early detection and immediate blood sugar control as crucial. This allows patients to live healthily and significantly reduces future complication risks. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, eating a balanced diet low in simple carbohydrates, increasing intake of non-sweet fruits and vegetables, exercising regularly for at least 30 minutes daily, and avoiding smoking are essential.
Those without diabetes or symptoms should undergo regular blood sugar tests for diabetes screening starting at age 45, or earlier if overweight or obese, with risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a family history of diabetes (parents, siblings, children), physical inactivity, or other insulin resistance-related conditions (like acanthosis nigricans).
"Patients can live long and healthy lives with diabetes if it's detected early and well-managed from the start. The key is not to be complacent and wait for symptoms before checking blood sugar," said Doctor Ngoc.
Le Phuong
