Contents:
- Medical Video: Heart Attack Warning Signs
- Relationship between diabetes and heart disease
- Risk of heart disease for diabetics
- Silent heart attack in diabetics
- Prevent heart attacks in diabetics
- 1. Physically active
- 2. Undergo a diet for heart health
- 3. Applying a healthy lifestyle
- 4. Reduce stress
Medical Video: Heart Attack Warning Signs
Having diabetes means being close to all the complications that might accompany it. One of the complications that is risky for people with diabetes is cardiovascular disease, such as heart and stroke. Opportunities for heart disease or even heart attacks in diabetics tend to be higher, compared to normal people. Based on data released by the United States National Heart Association as reported by WebMD, about 65 percent of deaths of people with diabetes are caused by coronary heart disease or stroke.
In general, the risk of strokes and heart attacks in diabetics is usually twice as high as patients without diabetes. People with diabetes tend to be more likely to have high blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and high blood pressure. These three conditions bring them closer to the risk of coronary heart disease, if they do not manage diabetes that is owned well.
The risk of stroke and coronary heart disease, including heart attacks in all types of diabetics is indeed high. However, this is even greater in people with type 2 diabetes. Cardiovascular disease ranks first in diseases that cause death in type 2 diabetics.
Relationship between diabetes and heart disease
The relationship between diabetes and complications of heart disease, including heart attacks, starts with high levels of sugar in the blood. The longer your blood sugar levels are left uncontrolled, the greater your risk of heart disease.
Glucose excess blood flowing over time will damage blood vessels. Damage caused by the occurrence of accumulation of fat due to cholesterol or plaque. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis will then damage the blood vessel wall and make it stiffer. The condition of atherosclerosis will also narrow the way the blood will have an impact on the poor circulation of blood throughout the body, including the heart.
Cholesterol that attaches to the walls of blood vessels can be eroded and come back in the bloodstream. Under these conditions, the body tries to break down the cholesterol to become finer so as not to clog the way by using antiplatelet. This situation can be analogous to a water hose.
The water hose is likened to a blood vessel, water as the bloodstream, and the moss that is usually present in the hose is a plaque that might clog the bloodstream. At one time, the moss might clog the hose so that the water flow stopped and could no longer flow. The same is true of the blood flow in the heart. When too much of the blockage is carried along in the blood and flows in narrow blood vessels, one day the pile of fat can clog the flow so that blood can no longer flow because it is covered by blockages. That's when a heart attack occurs.
Risk of heart disease for diabetics
People with diabetes tend to have greater potential for heart disease at a younger age than those who do not have diabetes. As reported in the Diabetes UK website, reports from 2007 estimated the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with diabetes as follows:
- Five times greater in middle-aged men
- Eight times greater in women with diabetes
Silent heart attack in diabetics
In general, a heart attack will cause pain in the chest that spreads to the arms, shoulders, neck, jaw, and even back. Other symptoms that may appear are shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and extreme anxiety. Those who experience these symptoms can immediately act to look for first aid in a heart attack. However, people with diabetes do not necessarily feel these symptoms when having a heart attack. This condition is called silent heart attack.
Silent heart attack is a heart attack that is not accompanied by pain and other symptoms that usually occur in a heart attack. As a result, silent heart attack patients are often late to be helped. This condition can and is a higher chance of occurrence in patients with diabetes. This is caused by diabetic neuropathy which is likely to be experienced by the person with diabetes. Diabetic neuropathy that is owned can damage the nerves that regulate the work of the heart, including the muscles in the chest and back which usually accompany a heart attack.
Prevent heart attacks in diabetics
It is very important for diabetics to keep their blood sugar levels within normal limits. Likewise with blood pressure and cholesterol levels in the body of diabetics. Managing all three within normal limits is very helpful in reducing the risk of getting cardiovascular disease.
Some steps can also be taken to reduce the risk of heart disease, namely:
1. Physically active
Regular physical exercise for 30 minutes a day can help you reduce your risk of getting other cardiovascular diseases. Expand sports such as aerobics, such as walking, running, cycling, or swimming. In addition to helping to burn fat and maintain the stability of blood sugar levels, physical exercise also helps you strengthen the heart muscle. By being physically active, you can also maintain your ideal body weight so that you avoid obesity.
2. Undergo a diet for heart health
To reduce the risk of a heart attack in people with diabetes, you must pay attention to carbohydrate intake and fat that enters your body. Avoid eating too many foods that contain saturated fat because it will increase bad cholesterol levels in yourself (LDL). The diet that can be done is by consuming whole wheat along with grains and fats both from avocado, olive oil, and salmon.
3. Applying a healthy lifestyle
Apart from consuming healthy foods and exercising regularly, getting enough sleep is also one of the healthy lifestyles that everyone desires, especially those who live in cities. Job demands sometimes make them sacrifice sleep time. In fact, getting enough sleep will help blood sugar levels become more stable. Quitting smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages should also be done so that other efforts you have made can work optimally.
4. Reduce stress
Stress can increase blood sugar, as well as heart health risks. Exercising is known to be a good way to reduce stress due to the release of hormones that create pleasure during the process.
