The Dangerous Connection Between Diabetes and Heart Attacks: Are You At Risk?

The risk of heart disease increases with diabetes. Heart disease, also known as cardiovascular or coronary disease, can lead to a heart attack or stroke. A diabetes patient is twice as likely to develop heart disease and suffer a heart attack than someone who doesn’t have diabetes, and at a younger age as well. The longer you suffer from diabetes, the more your risks of heart complications increase.

Cardiovascular conditions affect your blood circulation too. This, in turn, make your diabetes complications worse. Thus begins a vicious cycle between heart disease and diabetes in which poor management of one condition worsens the other.

Diabetes and your heart

The health of your heart depends on the health of your veins and arteries. With diabetes and high blood sugar levels, the blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart can get damaged.

People with diabetes also face a greater danger of heart failure. With heart failure, the heart is unable to pump blood throughout the body effectively. This can lead to a build-up of fluids in the lungs and make breathing difficult.

Diabetes also increases the risk of other medical conditions that are detrimental to your heart health:

• High cholesterol or triglycerides: Low HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) and high LDL (“bad” cholesterol) can lead to the hardening of arteries.
• High blood pressure: Your cardiovascular health suffers from having diabetes and high blood pressure with the increased force of blood through your arteries damaging artery walls.

Can you get “silent” heart attacks?

A common side effect of diabetes is neuropathy. Neuropathy is a kind of nerve damage that causes symptoms such as numbness, weakness in the extremities (hands and feet), and tingling sensations. This condition can also damage nerves that lead to your blood vessels and heart, making it difficult for you to gauge warning signals like pain and discomfort in your body.

In such a scenario, neuropathy can mask the pain and symptoms of a heart attack. A sort of mute button on the pain associated with a heart attack in the jaw, chest, and arm may seem fortuitous, but can be deadly if the patient is unable to identify the tell-tale symptoms of a heart attack and seek timely medical intervention.

Managing diabetes for taking care of your heart

The link between heart health and diabetes is not just down to elevated blood sugar levels; there are other conditions, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, that go together in damaging blood vessels and complicating heart conditions.

The following tips and lifestyle changes can help you manage diabetes and your heart:

• Get regular exercise:
  Increased physical activity helps manage diabetes by improving your body’s sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. Regular exercise also improves your heart health and reduces blood sugar levels. You should aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate–intense exercise, such as brisk walking or light jogging, every week.

  
  

• Maintain a healthy body weight:
  For overweight diabetic patients, even modest weight loss of 5% - 7% of body weight can result in a considerable reduction in blood sugar and cholesterol.

  
  

• Follow a healthy, balanced diet:
  Avoid processed carbohydrates such as most fast foods, sweets and sugary drinks, and foods made from all-purpose flour. Reduce your alcohol and red meat consumption. Eat more vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins.

  
  

• Reduce stress:
  Stress is closely linked to cortisol levels and blood pressure. Sustained stress is one the most common causes of high blood pressure and in turn can lead to unhealthy habits such as excessive drinking, eating, and smoking. To manage stress, seek help from friends and family, a mental health counsellor, try meditation, or get regular exercise.

  
  

• Manage your ABCs:
  

  • A: Get your HbA1C tests done every 2 – 3 months to measure your average blood sugar levels and try to keep them in the target range as recommended by your doctor.
  • B: Try to keep your blood pressure to levels below levels recommended by your doctor.
  • C: Manage your cholesterol levels.
  • s: Stop smoking (and avoid starting at all costs.)

People with diabetes are at a much higher risk of developing heart disease and heart attacks. Minimising risks of heart attacks that arise with diabetes isn’t just down to keeping your blood sugar in check – it is important to manage other contributing factors as well. In addition to the steps mentioned above, your doctor may also prescribe you medication to manage your blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and blood pressure to reduce the risk of a cardiovascular event.

For more detailed information about diabetes, heart conditions, and how to prevent emergencies like heart attacks, book an appointment with the best heart specialists in Bangalore at the Sagar Heart and Vascular Institute.