A client asks what diabetes mellitus does to the body over time. Which condition should the nurse include in teaching as a common chronic complication of diabetes mellitus?

Number 4 is correct.

Retinopathy, an eye complication due to breakdown of blood vessels in the back of the eye, is a chronic complication of diabetes mellitus. Hyperglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and hyperglycemia are short-term complications of diabetes mellitus.