Diabetes Effects on the Heart and Blood Vessels

Prolonged uncontrolled diabetes has serious effects on cardiovascular system including heart and blood vessels leading to serious diseases and complications. Type-2diabetes in particular has a close association with heart disease because it shares some of the common parameters of metabolic syndrome. 

The syndrome includes a set of traits and metabolic conditions such as accumulation of fat around the waist, elevated triglycerides level in blood, low level of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), hypertension, and elevated fasting blood sugar levels.

Among the damages caused by diabetes to the cardiovascular system, the most prominent effects are damage to inner lining of blood vessels, narrowing of coronary artery (or its blockage) due to plaque formation, poor circulation of blood to tissues and vital organs including brain, lungs and kidneys. 

Pathological changes in these organs lead to serious disease conditions. Some of the serious diseases which are linked to diabetes are: coronary artery disease, cerebral vascular disease, congestive heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, transient ischemic attacks and strokes.  

In diabetes, continued high levels of blood sugar over a long period of time are harmful to tissues and organs for their normal functioning. This also offers an environment to microorganisms to thrive and somewhat inhibit the body’s immune system and defense mechanism. 

High blood sugar causes  damage to blood vessels and thus affects circulation of nutrients and oxygen to deeper tissues and organs. Damage to coronary arteries leads to coronary artery disease which in turn can cause congestive heart failure. 

The damage caused to nerves leads to different types of neuropathies and foot ulcers. Diabetes along with hypertension also causes an increasing incidence of strokes.

Prevention primarily involves measures to regulate and control various parameters of metabolic syndrome such as increased weight, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, and hypertension. Basic preventive steps involve change in lifestyle by adopting healthy and nutritious diet and regular exercise. The other measures are regular monitoring of blood sugar and its control along with full compliance of all prescribed medications.

Diabetes needs to be treated for control of blood sugar. Treatment includes use of blood sugar lowering drugs or insulin to control blood sugar, anti-hypertensive drugs to lower blood pressure and drugs to control blood cholesterol. 

Any specific cardiovascular episode calls for immediate hospitalization and treatment under medical supervision. In case of stroke the patient needs earliest medical help within the first golden hour to dissolve the clot. In the long run the strategy is on treatment, management and healthy lifestyle.

Control of blood sugar is the foremost requirement for protection against harmful effect to the cardiovascular system as well as to safeguard against the worsening of any existing damage. Patient need to plan and strictly comply taking a healthy fiber rich nutritious diet low in trans fat and salt. Planning should include carbohydrate counting to control total calories intake. A high fiber, low trans and salt based diet is useful to reduce blood cholesterol and lower blood pressure. Those smoking must stop it immediately.

Controlled diet is very important in diabetes management. A dietician should prepare a diet chart for the patient which should be strictly followed. The diet should include high fiber (about 14 grams per 1000 calories). Total carbohydrate counting must be carried out to control total calories intake. Oat/oat meal, bran, wholegrain bread, cereals, vegetables and fruits need to be taken in plenty.

Dairy and bakery products and meats (except while and lean meat) must be avoided. Packaged food and fast food items rich in trans fats, snacks, fried foods, salad dressings made by using hydrogenated fats are unhealthy and harmful to patients.

Cardiovascular disease in a patient can exist independent of diabetes, but diabetes exaggerates heart disease in most cases. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease share common parameters of  metabolic syndrome and therefore one can lead to the other. 

In type-2 diabetes, insulin resistance reduces insulin's ability to lower blood sugar. In fat cells it reduces uptake of circulating lipids and increases hydrolysis of stored triglycerides thus increasing fatty acids in blood stream, a risk factor for heart disease.