Effects Of Diabetes On The Body And Organs
Over time, the raised blood sugar levels that result from diabetes can cause a wide range of serious health issues. But what do these health issues involve, and how are the organs of the body affected? Can these effects be minimized? When people have diabetes, the body either does not make enough insulin or cannot use what it has effectively. As a result, the amount of sugar in the blood becomes higher than it should be. Glucose, or blood sugar, is the main power source for the human body. It comes from the food people eat. The hormone insulin helps the cells of the body convert glucose into fuel. Fortunately, taking a proactive approach to this chronic disease through medical care, lifestyle changes, and medication can help limit its effects. Effect on systems and organs The effects of diabetes can be seen on systems throughout the body, including: The circulatory system Diabetes can damage large blood vessels, causing macrovascular disease. It can also damage small blood vessels, causing what is called microvascular disease. Complications from macrovascular disease include heart attack and stroke. However, macrovascular disease can be prevented by: Microvascular disease can cause eye, kidney, and nerve problems, but good control of diabetes can help prevent these complications. The cardiovascular system Excess blood sugar decreases the elasticity of blood vessels and causes them to narrow, impeding blood flow. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute say diabetes is as big a risk factor for heart disease as smoking or high cholesterol. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk of stroke or dying of heart disease increases by 200-400 percent for adults with diabetes. The nervous system When people have diabetes, they can develop n Continue reading >>
Diabetes Mellitus And Cardiovascular Disease
Diabetes Mellitus and Cardiovascular Disease The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is rising at an alarming rate. In the United States, 23.6 million people, or 7.8% of the population, have diabetes mellitus, with 1.6 million new cases diagnosed annually [ 1 ]. Over 200 million people are affected worldwide with diabetes mellitus [ 2 ]. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus. Despite a marked decline in cardiovascular disease related deaths over the past several decades, a smaller reduction has occurred in diabetics compared to non diabetics [ 3 ]. Diabetes mellitus remains a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is widely recognized as a coronary artery disease risk equivalent [ 4 ]. It is associated with a 2 to 4 times higher risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as an increased risk of mortality by up to 3 times [ 5 , 6 ]. Epidemiological studies of diabetes mellitus have shown that gender, age, and ethnic background are important factors when considering the development of diabetes mellitus and its complications. Given similar levels of fasting glucose and proteinuria, women with diabetes mellitus at diagnosis tend to be older and more likely hypertensive. Among those diagnosed at younger ages, women are more likely than men to be obese [ 7 ]. Compared to the non-diabetic population, the overall mortality from acute myocardial infarction in the diabetic population was 4 times higher among men and 7 times higher among women [ 8 ]. Despite a similar rate of myocardial infarction and chronic heart disease, the rate of transluminal coronary angioplasty and coronary bypass grafting was doubled in diabetic male patients [ 9 ]. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC), af Continue reading >>
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Conjoint Associations of Gestational Diabetes and Hypertension With Diabetes, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease in Parents: A Retrospective Cohort Study
- Mortality and Cardiovascular Disease in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
Heart Disease: The Diabetes Connection
Most people living with diabetes are aware that they have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. But the statistics can be truly staggering: Nearly two-thirds of people with diabetes have high blood pressure, and, according to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die of heart disease or have a stroke than people who don't have the condition. The good news: Learning more about the link between heart disease and diabetes can help you take steps to help protect your heart and manage your diabetes. How Diabetes and Heart Disease Are Related The connection between diabetes and heart disease starts with high blood sugar levels. Over time, the high glucose in the bloodstream can damage the arteries, causing them to become stiff and hard. Fatty material that builds up on the inside of these blood vessels, a condition known as atherosclerosis. This can eventually block blood flow to the heart or brain, leading to heart attack or stroke. Your risk of heart disease with diabetes is further elevated if you also have a family history of cardiovascular disease or stroke. Other heart facts to consider: People with diabetes develop cardiovascular disease at a much earlier age than others. Heart disease that leads to heart attack or stroke is the leading cause of death among people with diabetes. A person who has diabetes has the same risk of heart attack as someone who is not diabetic, but already had a heart attack. Protecting Your Heart When You Have Diabetes If you believe you are at a higher risk for heart disease, don’t despair. There are several small lifestyle changes you can make to not only help prevent heart disease, but also manage your diabetes more effectively. Be active. The American Heart Association recomme Continue reading >>
Diabetes And The Vascular System
The vascular system carries oxygenated blood around the body The vascular system is made up of arteries and veins that carry oxygenated blood around the body and oxygen depleted blood to the lungs to remove carbon dioxide from the blood and replenish the oxygen. People with diabetes commonly experience problems with their vascular system and charity Diabetes UK notes that diabetes is associated with a 5 times higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. What are the problems that can arise with the vascular system? Arteriosclerosis is the thickening and stiffening of the arteries this means that they become less flexible and create resistance for the blood that is moving inside them. Arteriosclerosis is thought to be caused by excess fat in the diet and high cholesterol. There are some schools of thought that have hypothesised that it is refined food and food rich in omega-6 fatty acids that leads to an inflammation of the endothelial cells that line the veins and arteries in the entire circulatory system. It is thought that this inflammation means that excess fat and cholesterol consumed binds easier to the artery walls forming hard plaque structures which result in the stiffening and in some severe cases blockages of veins and arteries. Coronary heart disease results if the build up of plaque on the inside of the arteries and veins that supply oxygen to and take away carbon dioxide from the heart . This causes the narrowing of the arteries and veins which means the heart isn't receiving enough oxygen as it is needed and it is being poisoned by excess carbon dioxide. High blood pressure can result from the heart trying to pump blood through narrowed arteries, although is has also been attributed to a diet high in salt, obesity, alcoholism and high stress levels. Continue reading >>
Diabetes And Its Effects On The Cardiovascular System
Many people with diabetes are unaware of the complications that develop when diabetes is not well controlled. These include retinopathy, or damage to the retinas of the eyes, that can lead to blindness; neuropathy, or nerve damage; kidney failure, which can lead to dialysis; and cardiovascular disease. The term cardiovascular disease generally refers to diseases that include the heart and blood vessels. The latest statistics from the Texas Department of Health Services places diabetes as the sixth leading cause of death in Texas. The first and third leading causes of death in Texas are from heart attacks and strokes (cardiovascular diseases). In the Rio Grande Valley the death rate from diabetes is higher than in many other parts of Texas. It is also estimated that death from diabetes is underreported. Diabetes and its effects on the cardiovascular system is a slow and progressive process. If a diabetic person also has high blood pressure and abnormal lipids (high total cholesterol, high triglycerides, high LDL, and low HDL), which is a common finding in poorly controlled diabetics, the disease process is much more accelerated. The vessels that supply blood to the heart and the brain begin to stiffen, plaque develops inside them, and the blood supply to the heart and brain is greatly diminished. Decreased blood supply to the heart leads to symptoms of ischemia. A person may experience shortness of breath with activities, pressure–like chest pain, or feelings of fatigue. This can also lead to a heart attack and possible death. Sometimes signs of ischemia can be found on an–electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) when the symptoms are more pronounced. A stress test almost always helps to determine if a patient has ischemia from narrowing heart vessels (coronaries). Adding smok Continue reading >>
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Conjoint Associations of Gestational Diabetes and Hypertension With Diabetes, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease in Parents: A Retrospective Cohort Study
- Increased heart rate and cardiovascular risk in hypertension and diabetes
Impact Of Diabetes On Cardiovascular Disease: An Update
Copyright © 2013 Alessandra Saldanha de Mattos Matheus et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Abstract Cardiovascular diseases are the most prevalent cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The proposed mechanisms that can link accelerated atherosclerosis and increased cardiovascular risk in this population are poorly understood. It has been suggested that an association between hyperglycemia and intracellular metabolic changes can result in oxidative stress, low-grade inflammation, and endothelial dysfunction. Recently, epigenetic factors by different types of reactions are known to be responsible for the interaction between genes and environment and for this reason can also account for the association between diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The impact of clinical factors that may coexist with diabetes such as obesity, dyslipidemia, and hypertension are also discussed. Furthermore, evidence that justify screening for subclinical atherosclerosis in asymptomatic patients is controversial and is also matter of this review. The purpose of this paper is to describe the association between poor glycemic control, oxidative stress, markers of insulin resistance, and of low-grade inflammation that have been suggested as putative factors linking diabetes and cardiovascular disease. 1. Introduction Diabetes is an important chronic disease which incidence is globally increasing and though considered as an epidemic [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated there were 30 million people who had diabetes worldwide in 1985. This number increased to 135 Continue reading >>
- Impact of metformin on cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomised trials among people with type 2 diabetes
- Impact of menopause and diabetes on atherogenic lipid profile: is it worth to analyse lipoprotein subfractions to assess cardiovascular risk in women?
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
Diabetes Mellitus: A Major Risk Factor For Cardiovascular Disease
Abundant evidence shows that patients with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes are at high risk for several cardiovascular disorders: coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, cardiomyopathy, and congestive heart failure. Cardiovascular complications are now the leading causes of diabetes-related morbidity and mortality. The public health impact of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with diabetes is already enormous and is increasing. Several explanations are behind this increase. First, the incidence of diabetes rises with advancing age, and the number of older people in the United States is growing rapidly. Second, insulin treatment for persons with type 1 diabetes has prolonged their lives significantly, and with each year of additional life comes an increased risk for CVD complications. Third, type 2 diabetes occurs at an earlier age in obese and overweight persons, and the prevalence of obesity is rising in the United States. The risk for diabetes in overweight persons is heightened by physical inactivity; unfortunately, the majority of Americans engage in little regular or sustained physical activity. Fourth, the populations that are particularly susceptible to diabetes—African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Asians—are growing in this country. Fifth, improved medical care, particularly when extended to susceptible populations, will bring an increasing number of patients with type 2 diabetes into the medical care system. All of these factors will lead to an absolute increase in the number of patients who will require medical intervention to prevent the complications of diabetes. Diabetes has long been recognized to be an independent risk factor for CVD. Prospective studies, such as the Framingham, Honolulu Continue reading >>
- Lowering Cardiovascular Disease Risk for Patients With Diabetes
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Conjoint Associations of Gestational Diabetes and Hypertension With Diabetes, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease in Parents: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Diabetes, Heart Disease, And Stroke
Having diabetes means that you are more likely to develop heart disease and have a greater chance of a heart attack or a stroke. People with diabetes are also more likely to have certain conditions, or risk factors, that increase the chances of having heart disease or stroke, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. If you have diabetes, you can protect your heart and health by managing your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, as well as your blood pressure and cholesterol. If you smoke, get help to stop. What is the link between diabetes, heart disease, and stroke? Over time, high blood glucose from diabetes can damage your blood vessels and the nerves that control your heart and blood vessels. The longer you have diabetes, the higher the chances that you will develop heart disease.1 People with diabetes tend to develop heart disease at a younger age than people without diabetes. In adults with diabetes, the most common causes of death are heart disease and stroke. Adults with diabetes are nearly twice as likely to die from heart disease or stroke as people without diabetes.2 The good news is that the steps you take to manage your diabetes also help to lower your chances of having heart disease or stroke. What else increases my chances of heart disease or stroke if I have diabetes? If you have diabetes, other factors add to your chances of developing heart disease or having a stroke. Smoking Smoking raises your risk of developing heart disease. If you have diabetes, it is important to stop smoking because both smoking and diabetes narrow blood vessels. Smoking also increases your chances of developing other long-term problems such as lung disease. Smoking also can damage the blood vessels in your legs and increase the risk of lower leg infections, ulcers, a Continue reading >>
Impact Of Diabetes Mellitus On Risk Of Cardiovascular Disease And All-cause Mortality: Evidence On Health Outcomes And Antidiabetic Treatment In United States Adults
Impact of diabetes mellitus on risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality: Evidence on health outcomes and antidiabetic treatment in United States adults Longjian Liu, Jinggaofu Shi, Arshpreet Kaur Mallhi, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States Barbara Simon, Division of Endocrinology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, United States Howard J Eisen, Division of Cardiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19102, United States Author contributions: All the authors contributed to this manuscript. Supported by A grant from the Drexel-AmeriHealth Faculty Initiatives, No. 282573. Correspondence to: Longjian Liu, MD, PhD, MSc, FAHA, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, 3215 Market ST, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States. [email protected] Telephone: +1-267-3596049 Fax: +1-267-3596201 Received 2016 Mar 28; Revised 2016 Aug 1; Accepted 2016 Aug 17. Copyright The Author(s) 2016. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. To examine the epidemic of diabetes mellitus (DM) and its impact on mortality from all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and to test the effect of antidiabeti Continue reading >>
- Mortality and Cardiovascular Disease in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes
- Incidence of End-Stage Renal Disease Attributed to Diabetes Among Persons with Diagnosed Diabetes United States and Puerto Rico, 20002014
- Impact of menopause and diabetes on atherogenic lipid profile: is it worth to analyse lipoprotein subfractions to assess cardiovascular risk in women?
The Effects Of Diabetes On Your Body
When you hear the word “diabetes,” your first thought is likely about high blood sugar. Blood sugar is an often-underestimated component of your health. When it’s out of whack over a long period of time, it could develop into diabetes. Diabetes affects your body’s ability to produce or use insulin, a hormone that allows your body to turn glucose (sugar) into energy. Here’s what symptoms may occur to your body when diabetes takes effect. Diabetes can be effectively managed when caught early. However, when left untreated, it can lead to potential complications that include heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, and nerve damage. Normally after you eat or drink, your body will break down sugars from your food and use them for energy in your cells. To accomplish this, your pancreas needs to produce a hormone called insulin. Insulin is what facilitates the process of pulling sugar from the blood and putting it in the cells for use, or energy. If you have diabetes, your pancreas either produces too little insulin or none at all. The insulin can’t be used effectively. This allows blood glucose levels to rise while the rest of your cells are deprived of much-needed energy. This can lead to a wide variety of problems affecting nearly every major body system. The effects of diabetes on your body also depends on the type you have. There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1, also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is an immune system disorder. Your own immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, destroying your body’s ability to make insulin. With type 1 diabetes, you must take insulin to live. Most people are diagnosed as a child or young adult. Type 2 is related to insulin resistance. It used to occur i Continue reading >>
The Pathophysiology Of Cardiovascular Disease And Diabetes: Beyond Blood Pressure And Lipids
In Brief The pathophysiology of the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is complex and multifactorial. Understanding these profound mechanisms of disease can help clinicians identify and treat CVD in patients with diabetes, as well as help patients prevent these potentially devastating complications. This article reviews the biological basis of the link between diabetes and CVD, from defects in the vasculature to the cellular and molecular mechanisms specific to insulin-resistant states and hyperglycemia. It concludes with a discussion of heart failure in diabetes, a clinical entity that demonstrates many of the mechanisms discussed. Diabetes is a prime risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Vascular disorders include retinopathy and nephropathy, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), stroke, and coronary artery disease (CAD). Diabetes also affects the heart muscle, causing both systolic and diastolic heart failure. The etiology of this excess cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is not completely clear. Evidence suggests that although hyperglycemia, the hallmark of diabetes, contributes to myocardial damage after ischemic events, it is clearly not the only factor, because both pre-diabetes and the presence of the metabolic syndrome, even in normoglycemic patients, increase the risk of most types of CVD.1–4 In 2002, a survey of people in the United States with diagnosed diabetes found that, surprisingly, 68% of patients did not consider themselves at risk for heart attack or stroke.5 In addition, only about half of patients surveyed reported that their health care providers discussed the high risk of CVD in diabetes and what steps they could take to reduce that risk.5 Fortunately, we are now making the link. Health care providers are now focuse Continue reading >>
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Conjoint Associations of Gestational Diabetes and Hypertension With Diabetes, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease in Parents: A Retrospective Cohort Study
- Postprandial Blood Glucose Is a Stronger Predictor of Cardiovascular Events Than Fasting Blood Glucose in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Particularly in Women: Lessons from the San Luigi Gonzaga Diabetes Study
Cardiovascular Disease & Diabetes
The following statistics speak loud and clear that there is a strong correlation between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. At least 68 percent of people age 65 or olderwith diabetes die from some form of heart disease; and 16% die of stroke. Adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die from heart disease than adults without diabetes. The American Heart Association considers diabetes to be one of theseven major controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Why are people with diabetes at increased risk for CVD? Diabetes is treatable, but even when glucose levels are under control it greatly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. That's because people with diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes,may have the following conditions that contribute to their risk for developing cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure has long been recognized as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Studies report a positive association between hypertension and insulin resistance. When patients have both hypertension and diabetes, which is a common combination, their risk for cardiovascular disease doubles. Abnormal cholesterol and high triglycerides Patients with diabetes often have unhealthy cholesterol levels including high LDL ("bad") cholesterol, low HDL ("good") cholesterol, and high triglycerides. This triad of poor lipid counts often occurs in patients with premature coronary heart disease. It is also characteristic of a lipid disorder associated with insulin resistance called atherogenic dyslipidemia, or diabetic dyslipidemia in those patients with diabetes. Learn more about cholesterol abnormalities as they relate to diabetes. Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and has been strongly associated with insulin Continue reading >>
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Conjoint Associations of Gestational Diabetes and Hypertension With Diabetes, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease in Parents: A Retrospective Cohort Study
- Diabetes and cardiovascular disease: A deadly duo
Diabetes And Cardiovascular Disease: Epidemiology, Biological Mechanisms, Treatment Recommendations And Future Research
Diabetes and cardiovascular disease: Epidemiology, biological mechanisms, treatment recommendations and future research Benjamin M Leon, Department of Education, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, United States Thomas M Maddox, Cardiology 111b, VA Eastern Colorado HCS, Denver, CO 80220, United States Author contributions: Leon BM and Maddox TM organized, wrote and edited the review article. Correspondence to: Thomas M Maddox, MD, MSc, Cardiology 111b, VA Eastern Colorado HCS, 1055 Clermont St, Denver, CO 80220, United States. [email protected] Telephone: +1-303-3932826 Fax: +1-303-3935054 Received 2014 Oct 26; Revised 2015 Aug 2; Accepted 2015 Sep 16. Copyright The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) continues to rise and has quickly become one of the most prevalent and costly chronic diseases worldwide. A close link exists between DM and cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is the most prevalent cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. Cardiovascular (CV) risk factors such as obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia are common in patients with DM, placing them at increased risk for cardiac events. In addition, many studies have found biological mechanisms associated with DM that independently increase the risk of CVD in diabetic patients. Therefore, targeting CV risk factors in patients with DM is critical to minimize the long-term CV complications of the disease. This paper summarizes the relationship between diabetes and CVD, examines possible mechanisms of disease progression, discusses current treatment recommendations, and outlines future research directions. Keywords: Diabetes mellitu Continue reading >>
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- UAlberta research may provide solutions for the future treatment of diabetes and insulin resistance
- Conjoint Associations of Gestational Diabetes and Hypertension With Diabetes, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease in Parents: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Are There Any Harmful Effects Of Insulin Therapy On Cardiovascular Outcomes In Diabetic Patients?
It is an apparently simple question, and one that clinicians face daily. Like many important clinical issues, this one is easy to ask but hard to answer. Even including the recently released U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), no large randomized controlled clinical trial has been designed specifically to test the effect of insulin treatment on cardiovascular events. Such a study would be costly and would have to take into account many hard-to-control variables associated with type 2 diabetes. Also, the known adverse effects of poor diabetic control—from symptoms of hyperglycemia to worsening microvascular disease—weigh against initiating a study that intentionally withholds insulin therapy from those who need it to control glycemia. Without definitive proof of how insulin therapy affects cardiovascular disease (CVD), as many as 30–40% of people with type 2 diabetes now receive insulin . Based on average glycemic control , it could well be that even more people would benefit from its use. The persistent reluctance among many practitioners to start insulin can be attributed in part to the increased risk of hypoglycemia and insulin's unpopularity with patients. But the rationale often given is that insulin is atherogenic. Insulin, used therapeutically, is alleged to cause, rather than prevent, macrovascular disease. The reason for this concern is clear and is reviewed in this article. Some in vitro evidence suggests that insulin can promote lipid entry into atheromatous plaques and cause intimal hyperplasia. More impressively, a large body of evidence, though not entirely consistent, suggests that in the nondiabetic or prediabetic state, increased serum insulin (hyperinsulinism, or insulin resistance) is associated with increased incidence of CVD. There is also Continue reading >>
Diabetes Mellitus And The Cardiovascular System
aDivision of Cardiology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36617, USA bCorresponding Author: Bassam Omar, Division of Cardiology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36617, USA Short title: DM and Cardiovascular System doi: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an epidemic which affects close to 100 million patients worldwide; the majority being type 2 diabetes mellitus. The rising incidence has resulted in a proportional increase in the frequency of cardiovascular disease attributable to DM, as revealed by various population-based studies. Over the past 50 years, DM has been shown to be an important and independent risk factor in the development of a variety of cardiac conditions, especially vascular disease, primarily through accelerated atherosclerosis. Diabetic neuropathy is a serious complication of DM, which leads to the impairment of cardiovascular autonomic control. Diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy results in heart rate abnormalities, exercise intolerance, orthostatic blood pressure abnormalities, QT interval prolongation, silent ischemia and diabetic cardiomyopathy, all of which lead to increased morbidity and mortality related to diabetes. This conditions remains difficult to diagnose and treat, requiring a multifaceted approach. Inflammation appears to play a central role in accelerating many of the injurious effects of DM on the cardiovascular system. Expression of specific inflammatory markers has been directly linked to some of the known harmful effects of DM on the cardiovascular system, in addition to indirectly potentiating the deleterious effects of other major cardiovascular disease risk factors. Hyperglycemia results in increased intracellular glucose which triggers several pro-inflammatory reactions leading to the production of harmful free radic Continue reading >>
- Postprandial Blood Glucose Is a Stronger Predictor of Cardiovascular Events Than Fasting Blood Glucose in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Particularly in Women: Lessons from the San Luigi Gonzaga Diabetes Study
- American Diabetes Association® Releases 2018 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, with Notable New Recommendations for People with Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes
- Conjoint Associations of Gestational Diabetes and Hypertension With Diabetes, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease in Parents: A Retrospective Cohort Study
