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According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Diabetes is a chronic condition brought on by either insufficient insulin production by the pancreas or inefficient insulin utilisation by the body. And one hormone that controls blood sugar is insulin. Hyperglycaemia, also referred to as elevated blood sugar. As challenging a disease diabetes already is, new research has found out that for women, the disease can lead to cardiovascular complications considerably more than their male counterparts. In fact, lack of insulin damages women’s hearts twice as much as a man’s cardiovascular health, and if that’s not bad enough, the damage remains ‘undetected’.
Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction Twice As Likely In Women
Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction (CMD) is a heart condition when very small vessels in your heart have difficulty in blood flow, thus potentially damaging the heart. The researchers used MRI scans for coronary researchers to determine whether sex had any bearing on how our body reacts to diabetes.The research by NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), used advanced cardiac care in people with no symptoms of heart disease. After analysing the data, the researchers concluded that women were almost twice likely to have CMD as compared to men. Among the women with type 2 diabetes, CMD was reported in 46%, compared to 26% in men. The study's lead investigator, Gerry McCann, an NIHR Research Professor at the University of Leicester, stated, "We're seeing early warning signs of heart disease that aren't picked up through routine checks, and it seems that women are most affected.The fact that every participant in this study was asymptomatic, that is, without any known heart conditions, chest pain, or dyspnea, makes it noteworthy." What that also means is that disease often remains undetected.
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Diabetes Symptoms
According to the WHO, the symptoms for type 1 and type 2 diabetes are:
- feeling more thirsty than normal.
- frequent urination.
- losing weight without making an effort.
- Ketones are present in the urine. When there is insufficient insulin available, muscle and fat break down, producing ketones as a byproduct.
- feeling weak and exhausted.
- experiencing mood swings or being irritable.
- having hazy vision.
- experiencing sores that don't heal quickly.
- acquiring numerous infections, including vaginal, skin, and gum infections.
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Risk Factors For Type 2 Diabetes
- Age: Diabetes type 1 can strike at any age. However, it usually begins in childhood or adolescence. The more prevalent kind of diabetes, type 2, can appear at any age. People over 40 are more likely to have type 2 diabetes. However, the number of children with type 2 diabetes is rising.
- Genetic: Having a family history of diabetes
- Sedentary Lifestyle: not being physically active and conscious about one’s diet.
Bottomline
The results have important ramifications for preventative measures in the future. Interventions such as blood pressure management for men and weight loss for women may help prevent early heart damage long before it develops into heart failure, a condition that is particularly prevalent in individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, on the individual level one must go for regular checkups as both diabetes and CMD are asymptomatic.