How is Diabetes related to Heart Diseases?

Neha A
Neha A
Jul 25, 2017 · 3 min read

People with diabetes are usually not aware that diabetes and heart diseases go hand in hand. In fact, diabetics are more likely to be at risk of developing heart diseases than others . Therefore, to prevent any heart related complications, a diabetic must manage his sugar levels. Before knowing the different ways to prevent diabetic heart diseases, let’s know the causes and effects of diabetes on the heart.

Causes of Diabetic Heart Diseases

· Smoking raises the risk of developing heart diseases due to the narrowing of blood vessels. This also increases the chances of other long-term complications such as lung disease.

· Being obese or overweight also increases the chances of heart diseases. In fact, excess belly fat around the waist can raise this risk. Waist measures more than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women can mean excess belly fat.

· Poor diabetes care is another major cause for diabetic heart disease. Poorly managed sugar levels, sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet can result in heart diseases such as heart attacks or stroke.

· High Blood Pressure can result in straining of heart to pump more blood resulting in damaged blood vessels and even eye and kidney problems.

· Abnormal cholesterol levels can clog blood vessels result in high chances of heart disease.

· Family history of heart disease also increases the chances of developing heart disease. Chances of developing heart disease are high if one or more members of your family had a heart attack before age 50.

Effects of diabetes on the heart

· Hypertension, a condition where the blood pressure levels is more than 120/80 mmHg is common amongst people with diabetes. This can result in coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, kidney failure and retinopathy.

· Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a heart muscle disorder in diabetics which causes poor circulation of blood and accumulation of fluids in lungs resulting in a stage of heart failure.

· Coronary Heart Disease leads to plaque formation in the blood vessels causing difficulty in blood flow and increase in heart disease.

Simple steps to prevent heart diseases with diabetes

· Diabetes care is essential to lower the chances of heart attacks or stroke. Diabetes care majorly includes constantly monitoring sugar levels, managing ABCs of diabetes(A1C, Blood pressure and cholesterol levels).

· Stop smoking to improve the ABCs of Diabetes. Moreover, smoking cessation helps to improve blood circulation which also makes it easier to be physically active.

· Develop a healthy lifestyle habits such as maintaining weight, getting enough sleep, following a healthy diet and being physically active.

· Get a full body checkup at least twice a year. Moreover, getting a diabetes checkup is also essential to prevent complications. A diabetes check-up should be done regularly for those who are already diabetic and once in 6 months if you are above the age of 35 years and may have symptoms of pre-diabetes.

Controlling your sugar levels is imperative for prevention and treatment. Consult your diabetes educator for a proper prevention plan for diabetic heart disease. Control your diabetes, don’t let it control you!

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