Diabetes Related Heart Disease

Diabetes Related Heart Disease - Heart Disease is one of the most dangerous complications of diabetes. People with diabetes have twice the risk of having heart disease compared to people without diabetes, and over 65 percent of deaths in diabetics are vascular or heart disease related. Learning about diabetes related heart disease will help you prevent complications and conditions that could put your health at serious risk.

How Does Diabetes Affect the Heart?

People with diabetes often have high blood sugar levels. A high blood sugar level can damage the blood vessels and arteries in the body. Diabetes can also raise your blood cholesterol level. Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, can build up and clog the inside of the arteries. This condition is called atherosclerosis, which causes high blood pressure and can lead to heart attack and stroke.

Typical symptoms of a heart disease can be a pounding heart beat, chest and arm pain, shortness of breath, stomach pain, nausea and sweating. But Diabetes can cause these symptoms to be unnoticed, causing delays in treatment and making serious complications more probable. Diabetic neuropathy, or nerve damage, can make the signs of a heart attack to be discarded as an upset stomach or indigestion, since this condition damages the sensations of pain and touch. This is called silent ischemia, or a silent heart attack.

These complications are very serious and dangerous. It is very important to visit your health care professional regularly, get the needed tests done and have a healthy lifestyle that will help you avoid these conditions now and in the future. Let’s look at some important steps you must take to keep diabetes related heart disease under control.

Step 1- Educate Yourself

If you have Diabetes, it is important to learn as much as you can about your condition and the complications associated with it. By doing this, you will learn how to live a lifestyle that will help you live longer and healthier, and avoid the dangers associated with diabetes related heart disease. You will be able to enjoy your life for a very long time, and take care of your body the way you need to. Visit your doctor regularly and always follow his directions.  Remember that although diabetes is a dangerous disease and it can bring along complications like heart disease and stroke, you play a huge role on your well being.

Step 2 – Control your Blood Glucose Level

Keeping your blood glucose level under control is extremely important since doing so will prevent delay the damage to your arteries and blood vessels. Many diabetics test their blood sugar on a daily basis and make sure they are within the needed range. It is also important to have a hemoglobin A1C test, which reflects the average blood sugar level over a period of three months. It is recommended that you have this test done two times a year and your target range should be below 7 percent.

Step 3- Control Your Blood Pressure Level

As we already learned, diabetes can lead to high blood pressure, which increases the risk for heart disease and stroke. High blood pressure control can be achieved with lifestyle changes. Diet and exercise are crucial to keep your blood pressure under control. You must also limit your alcohol consumption. Your doctor might also prescribe medication. The medications used to treat high blood pressure include diuretics, beta blockers, alpha blockers, alpha beta blockers, vasodilators, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin antagonists and ACE inhibitors. Your target blood pressure level should be below 130/80.

Step 4 - Control your LDL Levels

LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) or bad cholesterol clogs up your arteries and blood vessels, which leads to high blood pressure and can cause heart attack and stroke. In order to keep your cholesterol level under control, it is important to maintain a healthy diet, loose weight if necessary, stay physically active and stop smoking.

Make sure you check your cholesterol level at least once a year. Your target should be below 100mg/dl. Your HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) or good cholesterol level should be kept above
40mg/dl in men and 50mg/dl in women.

As you can see, your lifestyle plays a huge role in keeping diabetes related heart disease under control. The lifestyle changes you make will help you live a healthier, longer life and avoid serious complications associated with diabetes and heart disease. It is important to know the connection between these two diseases and make the needed lifestyle changes to stay healthy. Remember to always consult your doctor before making any treatment or diet changes.