Too much glucose in the blood for a long time can cause problems for people with diabetes. This high blood glucose (also called blood sugar) can damage many parts of the body, such as the:

* Heart
* Eyes
* Blood vessels
* Kidneys.

Heart and blood vessel disease can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Through good diabetes care, you can do a lot to prevent or slow down these problems. Good diabetes care, among other things, means keeping your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol under control.

This article uses the term “heart disease” to refer to both heart and blood vessel disease, also known as cardiovascular disease.

Statistics on Heart Disease and Diabetes

Consider the following statistics regarding diabetes and heart disease:

* Heart disease is a major complication and the leading cause of premature death among people with diabetes. At least 65 percent of people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke.

* Middle-aged people with type 2 diabetes have the same high risk for heart attack as people without diabetes who already have had a heart attack.

* People with type 2 diabetes have high rates of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity, which are major reasons for their two- to four-fold higher rates of heart disease.

* Ninety-seven percent of adults with type 2 diabetes have at least one lipid abnormality.

* About 70 percent of people with diabetes also have high blood pressure.

* Sticky blood platelets contribute to clotting problems and poor blood flow in people with diabetes.

* Smoking doubles the risk of heart disease in people with diabetes.

* Relatively small improvements in blood glucose, lipids, and blood pressure values result in decreased risk for diabetes complications.

Understanding the Heart and Blood Vessels

Your heart and blood vessels make up your circulatory system. Your heart is a big muscle that pumps blood through your body. Your heart pumps blood carrying oxygen to large blood vessels, called arteries, and small blood vessels, called capillaries. Other blood vessels, called veins, carry blood back to the heart.

Understanding Clogged Arteries

Diabetes and Heart Disease: An Overview Tips for Prevention

Several things, including having diabetes, can make your blood cholesterol level too high. Cholesterol is a substance that is made by the body and used for many important functions. It is also found in some food derived from animals. When cholesterol is too high for long periods, the insides of large blood vessels become narrowed, even clogged. This problem is called atherosclerosis.

Narrowed and clogged blood vessels make it harder for enough blood to get to all parts of your body, which can cause a variety of problems.

How Clogged Arteries Affect People With Diabetes

Arteries that become narrowed and clogged can lead to chest pain or a heart attack. When you have chest pain (also called angina), you may also feel pain in your arms, shoulders, or back. You may feel the pain more when your heart beats faster, such as when you exercise. The pain may go away when you rest. You also may feel weak and sweaty. If you do not get treatment, chest pain may occur more frequently. If diabetes has damaged the heart nerves, you may not feel the chest pain.

A heart attack occurs when a blood vessel in or near the heart becomes blocked. Not enough blood can get to that part of the heart muscle. That area of the heart muscle stops working, so the heart is weaker. During a heart attack, you may have chest pain along with:

* Nausea
* Indigestion
* Extreme weakness
* Sweating.

How Does Heart Disease Cause High Blood Pressure?

Narrowed blood vessels leave a smaller opening for blood to flow through. It is like turning on a garden hose and holding your thumb over the opening. The smaller opening makes the water shoot out with more pressure. In the same way, narrowed blood vessels lead to high blood pressure. Other factors can also lead to high blood pressure (also called hypertension), such as:

* Kidney problems
* Being overweight.

Many people with diabetes also have high blood pressure. If you have heart, eye, or kidney problems from diabetes, high blood pressure can make them worse.

You will see your blood pressure written with two numbers separated by a slash, for example: 120/70. Keep your first number below 130 and your second number below 80.

If you have high blood pressure, ask your doctor how to lower it. Your doctor may ask you to take blood pressure medicine every day. Some types of blood pressure medicine can also help keep your kidneys healthy.

To lower blood pressure, your doctor may ask you to:

* Lose weight
* Eat more fruits and vegetables
* Eat less salt and high-sodium foods (such as canned soups, salty snack foods, and fast foods)
* Drink less alcohol.