Diabetes and your heart Seven things you should know about living with diabetes and cardiovascular disease

ABOUT… DIABETES AND YOUR HEART

Diabetes means the risk of having a heart attack or stroke can be up to four times higher than average. Find out why and what steps you can take to support your heart health and minimise the risk.

High blood sugar levels damage the heart’s blood vessels over time. This makes them more likely to develop the fatty deposits that can eventually trigger a heart attack and some types of stroke. Plus, having diabetes can also mean you’re more likely to have traditional heart attack and stroke risk factors, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of death among people with diabetes.

CVD includes stroke and the coronary heart disease that causes heart attacks, but it’s also a broader term that takes in heart failure and valve disease. If you have diabetes your chances of dying from CVD are the same as someone who’s already had a heart attack. In fact, two out of three people aged over 65 with diabetes will die from some form of CVD.

CVD is the leading cause of death among all Australians. Someone dies of CVD in Australia every 12 minutes. The biggest cause of death from CVD is the progressive blocking of blood vessels from the build-up of those fatty deposits, with one Australian having a stroke or heart attack every four minutes.

The longer you’ve had diabetes, the more likely you are to develop CVD. For example, research shows that people who have been living with diabetes for around five years have roughly half the risk of developing CVD as people who’ve had diabetes for 16 years.

CVD often goes undetected until symptoms occur. It means people don’t always know they have it until they feel something. Symptoms vary depending on the type of CVD that’s present, but they can include chest pain, shortness of breath, swollen limbs, dizziness, excessive fatigue or pain, weakness or numbness in the legs or arms.

Getting a regular heart health check is vital to assess your risk of CVD. These 20-minute checks are covered by Medicare, which means they’re free if you attend a bulk-billing medical practice. Your doctor will recommend how regularly you should have a heart health check, but every six to 12 months is typical if you have diabetes.

There are things you can do to reduce your risk of CVD. As well as taking any medications that you’ve been prescribed by your doctor to control diabetes, blood pressure or cholesterol levels, it’s also important to follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly. Losing weight, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol intake can also help reduce your risk of CVD. ■