Heart Health: Volume 11 – What is the link between Diabetes and Heart Failure
Do you know what diabetes is? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diabetes is classified as a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (typically called Type 1 Diabetes) or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces (Type 2). Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose. Hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar) is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.
The likelihood of you either having diabetes or knowing someone who does is extremely high. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) roughly 11.6% of the population in 2021 had diabetes. That is a little over 1 in 10 people. Of the 38.4 million adults with diabetes, 29.7 million were diagnosed, and 8.7 million were undiagnosed. The percentage of Americans age 65 and older remains high, at 29.2%, or 16.5 million seniors (diagnosed and undiagnosed).
People should be screened for diabetes at their yearly physicals, or every time they have labs drawn. The tests that typically help diagnose diabetes are Hemoglobin A1C, and blood glucose tests. Your A1C level can also be impacted by other health conditions like anemia, kidney disease, or medications you may be on. Your provider will typically call and discuss abnormal results with you.
A normal blood glucose level is between 70-100 mg/dl. This is typically when the test is performed when you are fasting, or have not eaten or drank anything besides water or black coffee in the 8 to 10 hours prior to the test. If your glucose test is random, meaning you have been eating or drinking as you normally would, the number typically rises.
Management of Type 2 diabetes (what used to be considered adult onset) usually starts with lifestyle modifications such as:
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Stay physically active (150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly)
• Eat healthy foods, avoiding sugar and saturated fat
• Do not smoke tobacco If lifestyle modifications do not work, medication such as metformin are typically prescribed by your primary care provider. If your body is still not responding, you may need to add in short or long acting insulin injections. These medications and any lifestyle modifications are carefully monitored by you and your healthcare team. If you know you have high blood sugar, and are prediabetic, symptoms of diabetes may occur suddenly. In Type 2 diabetes, the symptoms can be mild and may take many years to be noticed.
Symptoms of diabetes include:
• Feeling very thirsty
• Urinating more often than usual
• Blurred vision
• Fatigue
• Losing weight unintentionally High blood sugar caused by diabetes causes a buildup of fatty deposits in the blood vessels which leads to narrowing (atherosclerosis). Narrowed arteries restrict blood flow to organs and tissues which over time can cause complications like nerve damage, kidney disease, and vision problems.
While Type 1 Diabetes (juvenile onset) is typically unavoidable due to the lack of insulin production, Type 2 Diabetes is generally avoidable with a healthy lifestyle. Talk to your provider to learn how to prevent diabetes and resulting heart conditions at your next appointment.
