Heart disease is common among people with diabetes. Data from the National Heart Association in 2012 showed that 65% of people with diabetes died from some kind of heart disease or stroke. Overall, people with diabetes have 2 times the risk of dying from heart disease and having a stroke than people without diabetes.
While all people with diabetes have an increased chance of developing heart disease, the condition is more common in people with type 2 diabetes. In fact, heart disease is the number one cause of death in people with type 2 diabetes.
The Framingham Study is one of the first pieces of evidence that people with diabetes are more likely to develop heart disease than people without diabetes. the Framingham Study looked at several generations of people, including people with diabetes, to try to identify risk factors for heart disease. Studies have shown that a variety of health factors, including diabetes, may increase the likelihood of developing heart disease. In addition to diabetes, other health problems associated with heart disease include high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol levels, and an early family history of heart disease.
The more health risk factors for heart disease you have, the higher your chances of developing heart disease or even dying from it. Like everyone else, people with diabetes have an increased risk of dying from heart disease if they have more risk factors. However, people with diabetes are 2 to 4 times more likely to die from heart disease than non-diabetics. So, while people with a certain risk factor (such as high blood pressure) may have some chance of dying from heart disease, people with diabetes have 2 times or even 4 times the risk of dying from heart disease as people without diabetes.
For example, one medical study found that people with diabetes who had no other risk factors were 5 times more likely to die of heart disease than people without diabetes. Another medical study showed that people with diabetes, regardless of other risk factors for heart disease, were as likely to have a heart attack as people without diabetes who had a previous heart attack.
Cardiologists recommend that all people with diabetes, like people who have had a heart attack, should be treated aggressively for heart disease risk factors.
People with diabetes, what are the causes of heart disease?
In people with diabetes, the most common cause of heart disease is coronary atherosclerosis or atherosclerosis (a buildup of cholesterol in the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to the heart).
The buildup of cholesterol usually starts before the blood sugar rises in type 2 diabetes. In other words, heart disease almost always precedes the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
When a cholesterol plaque may split or rupture, the body tries to repair the ruptured plaque by delivering platelets to seal it in. Because arteries are small, platelets may block the flow of blood, which can prevent oxygen from being transported and therefore cause a heart attack. The same process can occur in all arteries of the body, causing inadequate blood supply to the brain, causing strokes, or causing peripheral vascular disease with inadequate blood supply to the foot, hand, or arm.
People with diabetes are not only at higher risk for heart disease, but also for heart failure, which is a serious condition in which the heart cannot pump blood adequately, which can cause fluid to build up in the lungs, which can cause difficulty breathing; or fluid retention in other parts of the body, especially the legs, which can cause swelling.
What are the symptoms of cardiovascular disease?
Symptoms of a heart attack
- Shortness of breath.
- Sensation of syncope.
- Sense of dizziness.
- Excessive and unexplained sweating.
- Pain in the shoulder, jaw and left arm.
- Chest pain or pressure (especially during activity).
- Nausea.
Remember that not everyone has pain and other typical symptoms of a heart attack. This is especially true for women.
If you experience any of these symptoms, call an emergency number or go to the hospital for an emergency visit right away.
Symptoms of peripheral vascular disease
- Leg cramps when walking (intermittent claudication) or pain in the hip or buttocks.
- Cold feet.
- Decreased or absent pulses in the feet or legs.
- Loss of subcutaneous fat in the lower part of the leg.
- Hair loss in the lower part of the leg.
How is it treated?
How do you treat heart disease in people with diabetes?
There are several treatment options for heart disease in people with diabetes, depending on the severity of the heart disease.
- Aspirin therapy to reduce the risk of blood clots that cause heart attacks and strokes.
- Diet.
- Exercise not only leads to weight loss, but also improves blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and reduces belly fat (a risk factor for heart disease).
- Medications.
- Surgery.
How is peripheral vascular disease treated?
Peripheral vascular disease can be treated in the following ways.
- Participate in a regular walking program (45 minutes per day, then rest).
- Wearing special shoes.
- Reduce glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) to less than 7%.
- Lower blood pressure to less than 130/80 mmHg.
- Control cholesterol to less than 100 mg/dl.
- Aspirin.
- Medications.
- Medications.
- Smoking cessation.
- Surgery (in some cases).
Low-dose aspirin therapy is recommended for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who are older than 40 years of age and at high risk for heart disease and peripheral vascular disease. Consult your doctor to determine if aspirin therapy is appropriate. If you have certain medical conditions, aspirin therapy may not be recommended.
How can I prevent heart disease in people with diabetes?
The best way to prevent heart disease is to take care of yourself and your diabetes.
- Keep your blood sugar as normal as possible.
- Control your blood pressure and use medications if necessary. The target blood pressure for people with diabetes is 130/80 mmHg or less.
- Make cholesterol worthwhile to control. Medications may be needed for this.
- Lose weight if obese.
- Check with your doctor if you should take an aspirin daily.
- Exercise regularly.
- Eat heart-healthy foods, such as the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet.
- Stop smoking.
- Stop smoking.
- Try to reduce daily stress.