“Does a diabetic patient need to visit a cardiologist for carrying out a complete check-up?”
Lately my father-in-law has been showing signs related to a heart problem where he starts to feel dizzy. There is pain in the chest region and many more symptoms. He is also a diabetic patient. Is it time to visit the cardiologist for getting a complete check-up of the heart?
5 Answers
It would be a good idea. Diabetic patients usually have established heart disease and they may not know about it. If he has symptoms like dizzy or pain it can be serious.
This short answer is yes. Patients who have had diabetes for a number of years with experience the same frequency of cardiovascular complications (heart attacks, heart failure) as patients who have had a heart attack but who do not have diabetes. Diabetes is sometimes referred to as a Coronary Artery Disease equivalent. In my practice, if someone has said diabetes for any number of years, I assume that they have coronary artery disease and I treat them as such.
Diabetes can cause damage to blood vessels and heart, esp. when it is present for a long period of time. If your father-in-law is experiencing symptoms, he should visit a cardiologist as soon as possible to make sure his heart is in good shape and the blood vessels are not getting blockage, etc.
It would certainly be wise to have a check with a cardiologist. Cardiac disease is a significant risk in diabetes so frequent cardiac checks are a good idea. So YES it is time to see the cardiologist & get a good checkup.
Yes, especially if the person has been diabetic for some time and if the patient has other diseases on top of DM. Now we have new meds that help control blood sugar and help the heart by decreasing the risk of having cardiovascular diseases.
