Heart Disease
Reviewed by Staff of Diabetes Digest

People with diabetes are twice as likely to die from coronary artery disease as the non-diabetic population. Risk factors for heart disease that can't be changed are heredity (look to your family for an idea of your risk for heart disease) and increasing age. The older we get, the greater our risk for having a heart attack. Women die of heart attacks twice as often as men do at older ages.

Risk factors for heart disease that can be changed:

1. Smokers have a two-fold higher risk of heart disease than non-smokers do.
2. High Blood Cholesterol: blood cholesterol of 240 mg/dl and over doubles the risk of coronary heart disease. Diet and lowering of saturated fat are important factors in lowering cholesterol levels. Medication may also be prescribed to control level of cholesterol in the blood as well as the ratio of LDL and HDL in the blood. Get your cholesterol checked yearly.
3. High Blood Pressure: People with high blood pressure should work with their physicians to control it. Eating properly, losing weight, exercising regularly, restricting sodium, and following a program of medication may be prescribed to lower blood pressure. ACE inhibitors are now the medicines of choice for people with diabetes and blood pressure problems. It helps control blood pressure and slows kidney damage. If you have high blood pressure, ask you doctor if you should be on an ACE inhibitor. If your blood pressure is higher than 140/90, you may want to buy a blood pressure cuff and check your blood pressure at home.
4. Physical Inactivity: The American Heart Association suggests 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 to 4 times a week to promote cardiovascular fitness.
5. Diabetes: Strive to control blood sugar levels.
6. Obesity: People who are obese are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke even if they have no other risk factors. The weight increases strain on the heart.

Take Heart–and Take Control 

Regular checkup: Like other disorders, heart disease is easier to treat when it is spotted early. Your physician will check your blood pressure to make sure that you are within a normal range. Your doctor will also take a blood test to monitor fat and cholesterol levels. If any heart problems are suspected, your physician will probably refer you to a heart specialist (cardiologist), who is likely to give you an Electrocardiogram or a Stress Test.

Weight loss: Maintaining your ideal body weight is part of good diabetes control and good heart care.

Exercise: Make exercise (walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, etc.) a part of your life. Not only does exercise expend energy and make losing weight easier, it also improves control of blood glucose and overall cardiovascular fitness. Equally important, exercise lowers blood cholesterol and triglycerides and raises the level of "good cholesterol." Be sure and talk to your physician before starting any exercise program.

Diet: The following should be avoided or used minimally:

• Salt
• Saturated Fats
• Alcohol

Why do people with diabetes have more problems than most with heart disease, even when their cholesterol levels are normal? One of the possible answers to the question is that high blood glucose causes substances like cholesterol to behave abnormally. Proving that and understanding why it happens will be the first step toward returning things to normal and limiting life-threatening complication.

4 Tips On Aspirin Therapy: Simple Steps to Lower Your Blood Pressure If You Need Medication,They are:

1. Exercise
2. Lose Excess Weight
3. Stop Smoking
4. Drink Less Alcohol

For most people with diabetes, it’s probably a good idea to take 1 aspirin every day. A standard inexpensive tablet, a coated or buffered version, or even a "baby aspirin," has been shown to decrease the risk of heart attacks and strokes. But large doses used to control arthritis pain can certainly affect your blood sugar control. For example, 2 aspirin 4 times a day enough to cause undesirably low levels. Instead, choose acetamenophin (Tylenol). Or a medication like ibuprofen (Advil) & naproxen (Alleve). These have no effect on blood glucose as long as they are taken per directions on the bottle.

Taking aspirin will probably make it a bit easier for you to get blood from your fingertip for blood sugar monitoring. But, you may have more bruises at the sites of injection of your insulin shots.

Avoid aspirin if you have:

1. Bleeding disorders
2. Use of other drugs that interfere with clotting
3. Active stomach/duodenal ulcer disease
4. Aspirin allergy

Check with your doctor before starting aspirin therapy.Smokers have a two-fold higher risk of heart disease than non-smokers do.

High blood cholesterol:

Blood cholesterol of 240 mg/dl and over doubles the risk of coronary heart disease. Diet and lowering of saturated fat are important factors in lowering cholesterol levels. Medication may also be prescribed to control level of cholesterol in the blood as well as the ratio of LDL and HDL in the blood. Get your cholesterol checked yearly.

High blood pressure:

People with high blood pressure should work with their physicians to control it. Eating properly, losing weight, exercising regularly, restricting sodium, and following a program of medication may be prescribed to lower blood pressure. ACE inhibitors are now the medicines of choice for people with diabetes and blood pressure problems. It helps control blood pressure and slows kidney damage. If you have high blood pressure, ask you doctor if you should be on an ACE inhibitor. If your blood pressure is higher than 140/90, you may want to buy a blood pressure cuff and check your blood pressure at home.

Physical inactivity:

The American Heart Association suggests 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 to 4 times a week to promote cardiovascular fitness,and to control blood sugar levels. People who are obese are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke even if they have no other risk factors, because the weight increases causes a strain on the heart.