Diabetes: The Heart Connection

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Diabetes is a serious disease that affects your whole body. The excess sugar in your bloodstream can result in nerve damage, kidney damage, eye and skin problems and foot damage such as wounds and ulcers.

Because of the extensive damage that diabetes can cause, we’d like to focus on this disease and its dangerous complications during National Diabetes Month in November. This year, the National Diabetes Month theme explores the link between diabetes and cardiovascular health.

How Does Diabetes Affect Your Heart?

Fact: Adults with diabetes are almost twice as likely to die from stroke or heart disease as those without diabetes.

This is an amazing increase in the risk of heart disease just because of diabetes. It’s because that, over a period of time with uncontrolled blood glucose levels, your blood vessels can become damaged. Also nerve damage can harm those specific nerves that control your heart.

Those with diabetes are also more likely to have some risk factors that increase the risk of heart disease or stroke such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Other factors can contribute to the risk of cardiovascular disease include:

·         Smoking. Both diabetes and smoking narrow the blood vessels, reducing the blood flow to the heart. Smoking can also damage the blood vessels in your legs and feet and increase the risk of infection and amputation.

·         High blood pressure. Hypertension causes your heart to work harder, straining the heart and blood vessels.

·         High cholesterol. Hyperlipidemia can clog up the blood vessels and increase the risk of heart disease.

·         Excess belly fat. Being obese and especially with excess belly fat increases the risk of heart disease for those with diabetes as well as those who do not have this disease.

How To Reduce Your Chances of Cardiovascular Disease If You Have Diabetes

Take care of your heart as you take care of your diabetes! Here’s how:

  • Manage your ABCs. A is for the A1C test that measures your blood glucose levels. B is for blood pressure. C is for cholesterol. S is for stop smoking.

  • Develop healthy lifestyle habits like a healthy eating plan and exercise, with your doctor’s permission.

  • Get plenty of sleep.

  • Learn to manage stress. Long-term stress can raise both your blood glucose level and your blood pressure.

  • Take medications as prescribed. Follow doctors’ orders and take any medications you have to protect your heart and help control your diabetes.

Diabetes affects your feet too! If you have diabetes, visit us for a semi-annual foot check.

Let Us Help with Your Heel and Calf Pain

The foot specialists at PodiatryCare, PC and the Heel Pain Center have extensive experience in treating all aspects of foot problems. Our team of doctors which consists of Dr. Robert Marra, Dr. Thomas Johnson, Dr. Kristen Winters, Dr. Laura Vander Poel, and Dr. Matthew Tshudy is dedicated to serving you with all of the newest diagnostic and treatment technologies. Many treatments and surgeries can be handled right in our offices. Please call us at (860) 741-3041 to make an appointment in one of our offices in Hartford County, conveniently located in Enfield and South Windsor, CT.

Blog, Foot Doctor, PodiatristPodiatryCare and the Heel Pain Centerdiabetes, heart health, healthy eating, blood pressure