The most common cause of heart disease in a person with Type 2 diabetes is hardening of the coronary arteries or atherosclerosis, which is a buildup of cholesterol in the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrition to the heart.
Cholesterol is a type of fat found in your blood. You need a certain amount to produce hormones. But too much cholesterol sticks to your artery walls to form plaque. This plaque can build up and may block or narrow the artery. This process is called atherosclerosis.
This buildup of cholesterol usually begins before the increase in blood sugars that occurs in type 2 diabetes. In other words, heart disease almost always has established itself prior to the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
Cholesterol is made in the body mainly by the liver. This is often called blood cholesterol. The body can produce all the cholesterol it needs to carry out its many functions and can usually maintain a healthy level of blood cholesterol.
When the cholesterol plaques can break apart or rupture, it causes blood clots and blocks the blood vessel. This can lead to a heart attack.
The same process can happen in all of the arteries in the body, resulting in lack of blood to the brain, causing a stroke or lack of blood to the feet, hands, or arms causing peripheral vascular disease.
Not only are people with diabetes at higher risk for heart disease, they’re also at higher risk for heart failure, a serious medical condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood adequately.
This can lead to fluid build-up in the lungs that causes difficulty breathing, or fluid retention in other parts of the body (especially the legs) that causes swelling.
Symptoms of a Heart Attack
The symptoms of a heart attack include:
Shortness of breath.
Feeling faint.
Feeling dizzy.
Excessive and unexplained sweating.
Pain in the shoulders, jaw, and left arm.
Chest pain or pressure (especially during activity).
Nausea.
Remember not everyone has pain and these other classic symptoms with a heart attack. This is especially true for women.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should call your doctor, call emergency services, or go to the nearest emergency room immediately.
Peripheral vascular disease has the following symptoms:
Cramping in your legs while walking or hips or buttocks pain
Cold feet.
Decreased or absent pulses in the feet or legs.
Loss of fat under the skin of the lower parts of the legs.
Loss of hair on the lower parts of the legs.
Heart Disease Treatment For Diabetics
There are several treatment options for heart disease in those with diabetes, depending on the severity of the heart disease, including:
1.Aspirin therapy to reduce the risks of clots that lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Low-dose aspirin therapy is recommended for men and women with type 2 diabetes who are over age 40 and are at high risk for heart disease and peripheral vascular disease. Talk to your doctor to determine if aspirin therapy is right for you. If you have certain medical conditions, aspirin therapy may not be recommended.
2.Healthy Diet.
3.Exercise not only for weight loss, but to improve blood sugar levels,high blood pressure,cholesterol levels and to decrease abdominal fat, a risk factor of heart disease.
I went to Fota Wildlife Park yesterday with my husband Brendan!We had a very enjoyable time looking at all the animals and taking photographs!
Fota Wildlife Park is the perfect place to observe animals in their natural habitat.
There are hundreds of different types of animals such as wild animals like lions and tigers,tropical animals like fish and tropical spiders,different types of birds like flamingos and colourful pheasants!
There are many types of monkeys such as colombian spider monkeys and grey cheeked mangabey!
There are many types of aquatic animals such as seals and penguins!
People think that animals are lazy sometimes but I dont think so I think they are special especially to humans!
Animals are great for getting you motivated,for example going to the zoo keeps you fit and active because walking around Fota takes about an hour and thirty minutes which is a fairly good walk!
Animals are great companions especially domestic animals such as dogs and cats!
Animals are full of love and affection especially domestic animals,they never intentionally hurt the heart!
The only time that animals hurt the heart is when they die!
What type of animals do you like and have you ever been to Fota Wildlife Park?
4.Medicines.
Treatment with medication, usually with a statin medicine to lower your cholesterol level.
Your level of cholesterol has to be viewed as part of your overall cardiovascular health risk. The cardiovascular health risk from any given level of cholesterol can vary, depending on the level of your HDL cholesterol, and on other health risk factors that you may have.
HDL cholesterol is called good cholesterol! Because HDL cholesterol mops up cholesterol left behind in your arteries and carries it to your liver where it is broken down and passed out of your body.
A lot of people with high cholesterol are prone to high blood pressure!It is better to have low blood pressure than high blood pressure!
Treat with medication to lower blood pressure if it is high. This is even if your blood pressure is just mildly high.
5.Surgery
People with a high level of cholesterol are more prone to heart disease!
All meat products contain a lot of fat which causes high cholesterol!
People think that eating a lot of meat is good for them but it’s not!People who eat more vegetables than meat are a lot more healthier!
People who eat a lot of meat are more prone to heart disease ,strokes and obesity!
People with high cholesterol are more prone to heart disease as discussed earlier!
So if you have high cholesterol it can cause blocked arteries and this results in a heart attack!
Peripheral Vascular Disease Treatment
Peripheral vascular disease is treated by:
1.Participation in a regular walking program (45 minutes per day, followed by rest)
2.Special footwear
3.Aiming for an A1c below 7%
4.Lowering your blood pressure to less than 130/80
5.For people with heart disease or diabetes
| Total cholesterol: | No more than 4.5 mmol/l(174.0 mg/dl) |
| LDL cholesterol: | No more than 1.8 mmol/l(69.6 mg/dl) |
Cholesterol is either good or bad!As mentioned above the good cholesterol is HDL cholesterol and the bad cholesterol is LDL cholesterol!
LDL cholesterol is not very good for you because it sticks to the walls in your arteries making them narrow. This reduces the blood supply to your heart or brain. Eating too many foods high in saturated fat can raise your LDL cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Monounsaturated fats can help lower the amount of LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood and reduce your chances of heart disease and stroke.
Monounsaturated fats are found in many foods but the main sources include olive, peanut and rapeseed (canola) oil, spreads that contain these oils, as well as avocados, seeds and some nuts (for example cashews, almonds and peanuts).
HDL cholesterol can be found in processed and packaged foods and in all types of meat including poultry!
6.Aspirin therapy.Talk to your doctor to determine if aspirin therapy is right for you. If you have certain medical conditions, aspirin therapy may not be recommended.
7.Stopping smoking
Stop smoking as this causes heart disease as smoking blocks the arteries of the heart and it also is responsible for lung cancer!
Having high cholesterol affects people of all ages. Making small changes now can make a big difference to your life now and in the future, especially if you already have heart disease or a family history of it.
Your cholesterol can be measured by your doctor, who knows your family history. If a family member has high cholesterol, heart disease or has had a stroke, it’s really important you ask your doctor to do a cholesterol test. You can ask for this on any visit.
If you have any information,questions, or feedback you would like to include in this post.
Please email momo19@diabetessupportsite.com or leave your comments below.