“Does diabetes have an impact on the heart?”
My mother is diabetic and has had a bypass. Can her diabetes impact her heart condition?
4 Answers
Diabetes is one of the major risk factors for coronary artery disease. It is a major risk factor for any major cardiovascular disease, including cerebrovascular disease and peri feral vascular disease. It should be treated aggressively.
Yes, diabetes increases the risk of progressive arterial disease. Having both problems makes it even more important to treat the risk factors: statins for cholesterol, strict low carbohydrate diet for overweight, perfect blood pressure control (especially with ACE-inhibitors), regular exercise, good dental care (plus obviously not smoking). Diabetes and previous CABG can also make the symptoms of angina less clear so any progressive reduction in exercise capacity should be investigated with a stress test of some sort (treadmill exercise, stress echo, nuclear scan or stress cMRI)
Absolutely.
Absolutely. Diabetes is a risk factor for coronary artery disease (cholesterol deposits in the arteries), and these patients often have more diffuse disease that progresses more rapidly. Diabetes can also be associated with fatty deposits in the heart muscle which can lead to cardiac enlargement and heart failure.
