Diabetes & Heart Diseases

Diabetes & Heart Diseases

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Having diabetes or prediabetes puts you at danger for heart disease and stroke. You can bring down your risk by keeping your blood sugar level down, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol close to the recommended target numbers for the levels suggested by diabetes specialists.

A strong connection between diabetes and heart disease is currently well established. Diabetes independently is now regarded as the strongest risk factor for Heart Diseases. The blood vessels in patients with diabetes are more susceptible to other well-established risk factors such as smoking, high cholesterol level and many more. More than 90% patients with diabetes have 1 or more of these types of risk factors.

People with diabetes who have already had one heart attack run an even greater risk of having a second one. In addition, heart attacks in people with diabetes are more serious and more prone to bring about death. High blood glucose levels after some time can prompt to increased stores of fatty materials on the inner parts of the blood vessel walls. These stores may influence blood flow, increasing the chances of clogging and hardening of blood vessels.

SIGNS & SYMPTOMS

1. Chest pain or discomfort

2. Pain or discomfort in your arms, back, jaw, neck, or stomach

3. Shortness of breath

4. Sweating

5. Nausea

6. Light-headedness

Symptoms may come and go. However, in some people, particularly those with diabetes, symptoms may be mild or absent which is most likely due to nerve damage caused by diabetes. About 15% of heart attacks in a diabetic may be silent.

RISK FACTORS