Maintaining heart health is as important for diabetics as controlling blood sugar levels. People with diabetes can take preventative measures to lower their risk of cardiac problems.
“The incidence of heart diseases in people with diabetes is directly proportional to the levels of blood sugars, which means the higher the sugars the higher are the chances of dying from a cardiac arrest. It is of utmost importance that people with diabetes maintain good control of the sugars and also take measures to timely diagnose heart diseases and seek adequate treatment,” says Dr Anshu Alok, Senior Consultant, Endocrinology, Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital, Saket.
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, people with Diabetes are 2-4 times more likely to get heart diseases and stroke. Not only is it more common but people with diabetes also get it at a younger age and a more severe form of the disease.
How does Diabetes affect the heart?
According to Dr Alok, people with uncontrolled Diabetes have more severe and premature atherosclerotic disease which means their arteries of the heart tend to have more fatty deposits and they tend to stiffen earlier which increases the chances of heart attacks.
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“Due to increased stiffness of blood vessels, hypertension tends to be more common in diabetes which itself is an additional risk factor for heart diseases. Uncontrolled sugars also tend to damage nerves, as a result people with diabetes do not feel any chest pain or discomfort. So heart diseases may not be diagnosed until they are advanced and silent heart attacks are common due to this reason,” said Dr Alok, adding, heart failure where the pumping function of the heart is compromised is also significantly more common in diabetes.
Other Risk Factors common in Diabetes and Heart Diseases
As per Dr Alok, following are the risk factors common in heart diseases.
- Obesity/Overweight, not maintaining a healthy BMI
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Smoking
- Dyslipidemia which is raised cholesterol levels
- Uncontrolled Blood pressure
- Unhealthy diet
What can be done to prevent heart diseases/Sudden cardiac death
Studies have shown that with better control of risk factors, chances of sudden cardiac death can be reduced. It also Improves quality of life and can prolong life by 8 years in people with diabetes. these changes include:
- Maintaining a healthy weight. Recent studies show that in some cases significant weight loss through lifestyle changes can cause diabetes remission.
- Following a healthy diet which includes more fiber, green vegetables, and salads can help in controlling both diabetes and risk of heart diseases.
- An active lifestyle has shown to be beneficial for the heart. It is recommended that people do at least 150 mins of moderate intensity work out per week
- Quit smoking and excessive alcohol consumption
- Manage stress, maintain healthy work life balance
Medical Interventions
“Besides good control of Sugars, blood pressure and cholesterol levels should be controlled aggressively in people with Diabetes. Regular check ups are important since in many cases there may be no warning signs. Taking medications regularly, also, doctors treating diabetes now consider newer medications which have dual benefits and reduce the risks of cardiac diseases,” Dr Alok concluded.