If you have diabetes, it is very important to keep your blood glucose levels under control to avoid complications. Over time, elevated levels of blood glucose levels can cause damage to many major organs, including the heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes, and kidneys, increasing the risk of other serious health conditions.
Here, Dr. Gulshan Rohra, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon, Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central, sheds light on the major complications of diabetes and how these can prevent or delay. He also elaborates on how diabetes increases the risk of heart disease. Read on:
Understand Diabetes
Diabetes: high blood sugar due to insulin issues. Pancreas secretes insulin to process glucose.
There Are 3 Most Common Types of Diabetes:
Type 1 Diabetes (Juvenile Diabetes):
Has no cure. Almost always requires regular insulin.
Type 2 Diabetes:
This may happen to adults or children. Usually seen in obese individuals. Depending on sugar levels, it could be managed with just dietary changes Medications, or both.
Gestational Diabetes:
Diabetes during Pregnancy can affect both mother and the fetus. It can lead to developmental defects, early delivery, heavy baby, and baby with diabetes.
Pre-diabetes is when blood sugars are high but not high enough to be called diabetes. It is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and other related complications.
Diabetes and Heart Health: Know the Connection
High Glucose in diabetes can affect the blood vessels and nerves. Over time this involves the heart, eyes, and kidneys. Diabetes doubles or even triples the risk of heart attacks and other major cardiovascular events. Nerve damage and reduced blood flow can lead to retinopathy, kidney failure, ulcers & infection. Hypertension and high cholesterol along with diabetes can make things even worse. Eventually, it increases the chances of
Coronary artery disease: Blockage of arteries in the heart with cholesterol deposits and it may cause heart attacks. This is the most common heart problem in the world.
Heart Failure: Failure of the heart to pump sufficient blood to the body.
Cardiomyopathy: Problems of heart muscles.
Today, millions of people across the globe have diabetes and the numbers are increasing rapidly. It could be genetic (family history of diabetes) or it could be because of unhealthy lifestyle choices like unhealthy diet, smoking, and/or alcohol.
Very recently, we operated on a young man. He is a 32-yr-old young male, with a history of a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy food choices, presented with intermittent chest pains on walking uphill. His TMT came back positive for inducible ischemia. On further investigation, he was diagnosed as a Type II diabetic with coronary artery disease on an angiogram. He underwent total arterial bypass surgery and is doing well.
Ways to Prevent or Delay Diabetes Complications
The first and foremost step to reducing complications is early diagnosis and awareness. Consult an expert and talk about the different ways to reach a diagnosis. There are effective and affordable tests to diagnosing diabetes surgery. Secondly, adopt a healthy lifestyle which includes healthy food, smoking cessation, regular exercise, and weight loss, and following your doctor’s advice regarding prescribed medications. It could be pills or insulin injections. What is best for you, depends on blood sugar levels. Always consult your physician and let them help you guide you about the best therapy for you.
Be aware of your target blood sugar levels, what to do if your blood sugar levels get low or high, the side effects of the diabetes medications you are taking, and the interactions of your diabetes medications with the other medications you take. Regularly check your blood glucose levels.
Dr. Gulshan Rohra
Consultant Cardiac Surgeon
Wockhardt Hospitals
To book an appointment call: +918291101001
