Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : October 11, 2017 12:09 PM IST
It is a known fact that diabetes affects every major organ of the body kidneys, lungs, liver and your heart too. Most people who are suffering from diabetes end up having one heart problem or the other at some point in time. Both types I and type II patients face the same fate. Here are six reasons why diabetics are at risk of heart diseases?
Uncontrolled diabetes increases the blood sugar levels which damage the heart muscles and nerves that control the organ. This leads to coronary heart disease, a condition in which plaque builds-up in the coronary arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart. This narrows the blood vessels restricting smooth circulation of blood. The heart might have to pump harder to circulate blood. Over time plaque build-up can form blood clots in the arteries which can partially or completely block blood flow to the heart. This is a dangerous condition and can lead to a heart attack too. However, there are certain signs and symptoms that the body sends out when one experiences a heart attack. The commonest of all is chest pain, irregular heartbeat, which if ignored could lead to a full-blown heart attack that can be life-threatening. Here are five warning signs that your heart might be at risk.
But sometimes a person might not even know that he is suffering from a heart attack and experience something called a silent heart attack.
During a heart attack, blood flow to a section of the heart is restricted which causes the heart muscles to die and scar. This is when a person feels a sharp chest pain and breathlessness. But sometimes one might not feel these obvious symptoms and a heart attack might go unnoticed. This happens most often with diabetics. Diabetics suffer from neuropathic problems that interfere with their pain perception. So, even if they suffer a heart attack they might not realise it as there might be no pain. They might feel little breathless or fatigued at that time and attribute it to stress, anxiety or tiredness. Slowly, the heart does recover and he might be able to continue with his regular chores. But in that instance of the heart attack he might have lost a part of his heart muscles which leads to an irreparable damage, says Dr BS Sanjay Consultant Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgeon Fortis Hospital, Cunningham Road. If this happens often and the heart keeps getting weaker with every silent attack, this could be life-threatening and before you know a sudden heart attack might catch you unawares making it a medical emergency. Did you know only 50 percent of heart attack patients make it to the hospital on time!
If you are a diabetic it is necessary to take extra care of your heart. Remember, the heart never pains. So if you experience any kind of chest pain and breathlessness report it to your doctor and get an ECG done. Your doctor might not be able to revive the part of your heart that you lost to a heart attack but attempts can be made to restore the heart in such a way that you can lead a good quality of life, says Dr Sanjay. This is why it is important for diabetics to be vigilant when it comes to heart health and at least go for the basic heart tests once a year (or more, if your doctor suggests so) to avoid complications. Dr Sanjay also adds that diabetics who suffer from silent heart attacks might not be able to run marathons even after taking care of their heart, but can lead a normal life being able to do day-to-day chores and increase their life expectancy.
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