The Connection Between Heart Disease and Diabetes
People with diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease than the rest of the population. Among diabetics, heart disease can progress quicker than normal.
Why? Diabetes speeds up hardening of the arteries (also known as atherosclerosis). This can occur when cholesterol levels get too high. You may have heard of LDLs and HDLs. These are the lipoproteins that carry the cholesterol that circulates in your body.
When there is extra cholesterol in the blood, it gets left behind and forms plaque on the vessels walls, which makes them less flexible and more narrow. This raises the risk for blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. When someone has diabetes, the glucose in the blood can slow down the LDLs and make them "sticky," which makes the cholesterol build up much faster on the blood vessel walls. That's why people with diabetes have to watch their cholesterol levels more closely and start cholesterol lowering medications sooner than people who do not have diabetes.
Photo by Dante Oguido
Comments
what is the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabete.
The main difference between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes is that type 1 is caused by the destruction of the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. The body can no longer make it’s own insulin to lower blood glucose levels so insulin must be injected.
Type 2 diabetes happens when the body becomes resistant to the insulin that is produced. The body still makes insulin but doesn’t use it effectively.
To read more: see these links.
http://diabetes.about.com/od/whatisdiabetes/p/type1diabetes.htm
http://diabetes.about.com/od/whatisdiabetes/qt/type2diabetes.htm
Thanks,
Deb Manzella
diabetes.guide@about.com
can it be determined which comes Diabetes or PVD or heart disease