“Heart and Diabetes”

Heart attack is one of the most important causes of death in diabetics

Heart disease is common in diabetics. National Heart Association data from 2012 shows 65% of diabetics will die of stroke. In general, the risk of dying from heart attack and stroke in diabetics is more than double.

While all diabetics have a higher chance of developing heart disease, it is more common in patients with type 2 diabetes. In fact, heart disease is the first cause of death among people with type 2 diabetes.

The Framingham paper was one of the first evidence that showed that diabetics are more susceptible to heart disease than those who do not have diabetes. In the Framingham article, a group of people, including those with diabetes, have been investigated to determine health factors in heart disease. It found that several health factors – including diabetes – could increase the likelihood of developing heart disease. Other health problems associated with heart disease include high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol levels and a family history of early heart disease.

The higher the health risk factors for heart disease, the more likely they are to have heart disease and even die from it. Just like others, diabetics increase the risk of dying from heart disease if they have a health risk. With these conditions, a person with a heart condition is 2 to 4 times more likely to die from heart disease, while a person with a health risk factor, such as high blood pressure, dies from heart disease, the risk of a person developing diabetes is two or even four times higher.

For example, a medical study found that diabetics who have no other risk factor for heart disease are 5 times more likely to be at risk of heart disease than those without the disease. Another medical study found that diabetics, regardless of other risk factors for heart disease, are more likely to have a heart attack like a person without diabetes who has already had a heart attack.

What causes heart disease in diabetics

The most common cause of heart disease in a diabetic is coronary atherosclerosis or atherosclerosis, which is the accumulation of cholesterol in the blood vessels that provide oxygen and nourish the heart.

When cholesterol plaques are lost or torn, the body tries to repair the plaque rupture by sending platelets to repair it. Because the vessels are small, platelets can block blood flow and do not allow oxygenation and heart attack. The same process can occur in all veins of the body, resulting in a lack of blood to the brain that can lead to stroke or lack of blood in the feet, hands or arms, causing peripheral vascular disease.

Not only are diabetics more at risk of heart disease, but they are also at greater risk of heart failure, a serious medical condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood. This can lead to accumulation of fluids in the lungs, causing difficulty breathing or fluid retention in other parts of the body (especially the legs) and causing swelling.

What are some of the symptoms of a heart attack

 – Symptoms of heart attack include

  1. Shortness of breath.
  2. Feeling weak
  3.  Feeling dizzy.
  4. Excessive and inexplicable sweating
  5.  Pain in the shoulders, jaw and left arm.
  6.  Chest pain or pressure (especially during activity).
  7.  Nausea.

Remember that everyone, pain and these classic symptoms no longer have a heart attack. This is especially true of women.

– Peripheral vascular disease has the following symptoms

  1.  Cramps in the legs while walking (intermittent clotting) or buttock pain
  2.  Cold Feet
  3.  Decrease or absence of pulse in the leg or legs.
  4.  Loss of fat under the skin of the lower parts of the legs.
  5.  Hair loss in the lower parts of the legs.

How is heart disease treated in diabetic patients

– There are several treatment options for heart disease in diabetic patients, depending on the difficulty of heart disease including:

  1. Aspirin Therapy: To reduce the risks of clots leading to heart and brain attacks.
  2. Diet: To improve blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, cholesterol levels and reduce belly fat, reduce the risk of heart disease
  3. Medications.
  4. Surgery.

How is peripheral vascular disease treated

Peripheral vascular disease by

  1. Participate in a regular walking schedule (45 minutes a day followed by a break
  2. Lower your blood pressure to less than 80/80
  3. Bringing cholesterol below 100
  4. Aspirin Therapy: Treatment of low-dose aspirin is recommended for men and women with type 1 or 2 diabetes who are over 40 years old and very dangerous for peripheral cardiovascular disease. Talk to your doctor to determine if aspirin treatment is right for you. If you have certain medical conditions, aspirin treatment is not recommended.
  5. Quit smoking
  6. Surgery (in some cases)

How can heart disease be prevented in diabetics

  1. The best way to prevent heart disease is to take good care of yourself and diabetes.
  2. Keep your blood sugar as normal as possible.
  3. If necessary, control your blood pressure. The target of diabetics is under 80/80.
  4. Control your cholesterol count. To do this, you may need to take medication.
  5. If you are obese, lose weight.
  6. Ask your doctor if you should take aspirin daily.
  7. Practice regularly.
  8. Use a proper diet for the heart such as the Mediterranean diet or the DASH regimen.
  9. Quit smoking.
  10. Work to reduce daily stress.