糖尿病是一种以血糖升高为主要特征的代谢性疾病。尽管单纯的高血糖并不算太可怕，因为许多患者即使血糖水平很高，也不会感觉到明显的临床症状。然而，最可怕的是由糖尿病引起的一些急性和慢性并发症。

急性并发症包括酮症酸中毒(DKA)和高渗高血糖综合征，这两种疾病都可能导致一定的死亡风险。另外，还有一些慢性并发症。常见的慢性并发症包括糖尿病视网膜病变，该病在晚期可能导致失明。糖尿病肾病也是一种常见的糖尿病并发症，当进展到末期时，可能导致尿毒症，即我们通常所称的肾脏衰竭。除了这些，所有并发症在后期都会严重影响生活质量，甚至可能缩短预期寿命。

(Translation):

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood sugar levels. Although high blood sugar alone may not be particularly alarming, as many patients with high blood sugar do not experience significant clinical symptoms, the most frightening aspect of diabetes lies in its potential acute and chronic complications.

Acute complications include diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS), both of which can carry a certain risk of mortality. Furthermore, there are chronic complications to consider. Common chronic complications include diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness in advanced stages. Diabetic nephropathy, a kidney disease commonly associated with diabetes, can progress to end-stage renal disease, commonly known as kidney failure. In addition to these conditions, all complications, when advanced, can severely impact quality of life and even shorten life expectancy.