Heart Disease, Stroke, And Diabetes: How Can You Reduce Your Risk Of Diabetic Heart Disease?

Diabetes patients are more likely to develop heart disease — one study showed that 65 percent of diabetics die from heart disease or stroke. People with diabetes have two to four times the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke than people without diabetes.

While this higher risk affects patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, type 2 diabetes is much more strongly correlated with heart disease, which is actually the leading cause of death in type 2 diabetics.

Diabetes is a significant risk factor for heart disease on its own, as one study showed that diabetics with no other risk factors still die from heart disease at five times the rate of people who don't have diabetes. Furthermore, one study discovered that patients with diabetes were as likely to have a heart attack as someone without diabetes who already suffered a heart attack.

Hence, heart disease should be treated aggressively in people with diabetes.

What causes heart disease?

Heart disease develops because the blood vessels that supply the body with blood (which contains oxygen and other nutrients) harden and narrow due to an accumulation of cholesterol. Oxygen and nutrients are no longer able to get to the heart properly when this happens. Patients with diabetes are more likely to develop heart disease because sustained high blood sugar levels further damage the blood vessels.

These hardened plaques that develop in the blood vessels can proceed to break or rupture. At this time, the body will try to repair the rupture by attempting to seal it up. However, this actually causes further narrowing of the artery, impeding blood flow to the heart even more. Since oxygen is no longer efficiently delivered to the heart, patients can experience a heart attack. This can also happen in blood vessels that supply blood to the brain, leading to a stroke.

Besides heart attacks, diabetic people are also at a higher risk of heart failure, in which the heart is no longer able to pump blood properly. This causes fluid to build up in the lungs, leading to breathing difficulties and swelling (caused by fluid retention) in parts of the body.

What are the symptoms of a heart attack?

Generally, patients having a heart attack will experience several different symptoms. These are the classic symptoms of a heart attack that may not be felt by everybody:

• Feeling short of breath
• Fainting
• Dizziness
• Excessive sweating
• Pain in jaw, left arm and shoulder
• Pain in the chest
• Pressure in the chest
• Nausea

Treatment of heart disease

For people with diabetes who develop heart disease, there are several ways to treat the condition depending on how severe the disease is. This includes:

• Using aspirin as a therapy, as that reduces the risk of blood clots which are associated with heart attack and stroke.
• Changes in diet. Diet obviously plays a big role in both heart disease and diabetes. Therefore, doctors recommend a diet rich in good cholesterol, limiting red meat, limiting alcohol intake, reducing salt intake, and increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables you consume.
• Quitting smoking. Smoking is one of the leading causes of heart disease and the combination of smoking and diabetes can be deadly.
• Exercise is necessary to help improve blood sugar levels, blood pressure levels, and cholesterol levels. Additionally, exercise can help reduce the amount of abdominal fat you may have, which is a known risk factor for heart disease.
• Weight loss. Patients who carry more weight have a higher risk of heart disease compared to people who have a healthy weight. Hence, overweight or obese should try to lose weight.
• Medications can be used to help widen the blood vessels to improve blood flow.
• Surgery can be used to widen up the blood vessels and increase blood flow.

Prevention: Can heart disease be avoided?

Meet with a specialist

The first thing you should do if you have diabetes as well other risk factors for heart disease (obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, a family history, high blood pressure, etc.) is to find a specialist that can sit down with you, evaluate your risk, and discuss prevention with you. They can also do physicals to determine how well your heart is working and the degree of damage to any of your blood vessels.

Get more exercise and be active

People who are more physically active have a reduced risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke, regardless of whether or not they have diabetes. Exercise keeps your heart in good shape, right along with the rest of your body.

Exercise is also important for people with diabetes as it helps normalize blood sugar levels. Doctors recommend that you get at least 30 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity five or six days a week. Physical activities can include sports, cleaning, gardening, and work-related physical activities. It might be best to work with a fitness trainer if you are out of shape and haven’t worked out in a long time.

Eating a healthier diet

Certain diets, such as those that incorporate high levels of fats and salts, are associated with heart disease. This is because salt increases your blood pressure, which is damaging to the cardiovascular system, while fats will cause further narrowing of the arteries. Foods to avoid include red meats and foods high in salt. Doctors recommend eating fruits and vegetables. A healthier diet can also help you lose weight, which further reduces your risk of heart disease.

Finally, a healthy diet in which you limit carbohydrates and foods high in sugar can help control your blood sugar levels, thus keeping your diabetes under control. When diabetes is well-managed, your risk of developing heart disease is much lower.

Quit smoking

Smoking is a very well known risk factor for heart disease as it induces the development of atherosclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries (a type of blood vessel). When the arteries are narrowed, your heart is no longer able to pump blood around your body efficiently. Therefore, smoking puts you at a much higher risk of heart disease, particularly if you have diabetes. Additionally, quitting smoking will put you in better overall health.

Stay adherent to your medications

It is absolutely necessary to take whatever medications are prescribed to you, either for your diabetes or for heart disease, exactly as your doctor instructs. These medications should be taken consistently for them to have a beneficial effect.

Some of the medications your doctor may have prescribed include statins, which help lower cholesterol. Statins can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease, even if you have diabetes. Your doctor may also prescribe medication to help you lower your blood pressure. You can also take aspirin at low doses to help reduce the risk of heart attacks. However, you should discuss with a doctor first.