Diabetes is a major contributing factor for heart disease. Individuals with diabetes are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than adults without diabetes. The American Heart Association considers diabetes to be one of the seven major controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is considered to be the major cause of morbidity and mortality among individuals with diabetes. Individuals with diabetes have a higher risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD), caused by a narrowing or blocking of the blood vessels that go to the heart, heart attack or stroke than individuals without diabetes. People with diabetes also tend to develop heart disease at an earlier age than those without diabetes. Some common risk factors shared by diabetes and heart disease are physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol, low birth weight, smoking and stress.
In individuals without diabetes, inadequate blood flow to the heart muscle may cause a variety of signs and symptoms, such as chest pain or pressure, pounding heartbeat, shortness of breath, jaw or arm pain, and sweating. However, none of these heart-related symptoms may be present in a person with diabetes. This type of heart ailment, known as ‘silent ischemia’, is a common feature among people with diabetes. The lack of symptoms may give one a false sense of good health and may prevent one from seeking medical care or treatment until serious complications have occurred. Regular screening and follow up visits with the diabetologist/physician can help one identify risk factors and heart problems before they worsen. Various tests can help assess heart function, such as an electrocardiogram (ECG). The early stages of CAD, which involves both functional and structural changes in the arteries, can be studied using sophisticated non-invasive techniques. These include carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT), endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness.
