We all aspire to live a healthy and long life, and a key aspect of this is maintaining a healthy heart. Several factors influence heart health, including genetics, lifestyle choices, and various medical conditions. While there is abundant research on lifestyle and disease conditions, adhering to common rules can significantly contribute to heart health. These rules include regular exercise, abstaining from smoking, maintaining a normal body weight, and managing medical conditions, with a particular focus on high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
The connection between diabetes and heart health is multifaceted. Poorly controlled diabetes directly increases the risk of heart disease, adversely affecting both heart muscles and blood supply. Individuals with diabetes are more prone to developing heart disease compared to those without diabetes. When combined with other medical conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity, the situation worsens.
The negative impact of diabetes on heart muscles results in stiffness, preventing heart chambers from adequately relaxing to fill with enough blood. This leads to backpressure in vessels carrying blood to the heart, resulting in symptoms of heart failure, including fatigue, breathlessness, and ankle swelling. Diabetes also heightens the risk of clot formation and narrowing of blood vessels supplying oxygenated blood to the heart muscles, impairing effective pumping. Uncontrolled diabetes increases the likelihood of coronary artery blockages and heart attacks.
Interestingly, individuals with diabetes may not exhibit typical heart attack symptoms due to diabetic autonomic neuropathy. This condition leads to silent and undiagnosed heart disease, often only coming to attention in advanced stages. A heart attack causes the death of a portion of heart muscles, negatively impacting the heart's pumping power and potentially resulting in heart failure, thereby diminishing the quality of life and shortening lifespan.
Diabetic neuropathy, a consequence of diabetes affecting nerves, extends to the nerves associated with the heart. Manifestations of diabetic neuropathy may include a rapid heartbeat and a drop in blood pressure when changing positions. This condition further contributes to the silent nature of diabetic heart disease, delaying diagnosis and timely treatment.
Given that diabetes is often accompanied by other medical conditions such as obesity, high cholesterol, and hypertension, it is crucial to address all these factors to minimize the risk of heart disease. Early intervention is key, with a focus on prevention. The encouraging news is that newer diabetes medications not only effectively control diabetes but also offer additional benefits. These medications are beneficial for the heart and kidneys, aid in weight loss, and do not induce low blood sugar levels."
Authored by: Dr Arun Kumar C Singh, Director - Endocrinology and Diabetology, Metro Heart Institute with Multispeciality, Faridabad
