Diabetes And Heart Disease Go Hand In Hand

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Linda G Mellbin (MD PhD, FESC) is a specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at Karolinska University Hospital and a cardiologist in the coronary care unit of Karolinska Instituet in Stockholm.

Having Diabetes means there is an increased likelihood of having a heart attack and stroke. Longstanding Diabetes damages the blood vessels and nerves in the heart. The longer the duration of diagnosis of Diabetes, greater are the chances of having a heart attack. Studies have shown that people who have Diabetes are more likely to have an early heart attack than those who don't. People who have other cardiovascular conditions, in particular such as metabolic syndrome and a multitude of other heart conditions, are at a high risk of a heart disease. There is also a probability of genetic predisposition to heart problems. Obesity, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy food habits and impaired metabolism are the major causes of heart disease in Diabetes.

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There are several reasons responsible for the high rate of deaths caused by heart-related complications. For example, people with Diabetes often have other cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels which increase the risk of having cardiovascular disease. It might also be that Diabetes in itself causes heart disease. The exact mechanism is still unknown, it might be high blood sugar levels or it might be oxidative stress.