Adults with diabetes have double the risk of developing heart disease — and cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in two-thirds of those with Type 2 diabetes. Advanced Heart Care Associates provides comprehensive care, which includes helping people with diabetes manage their disease to prevent complications like heart disease. If you need help with diabetes, call their Henderson, Nevada office or one of the two offices in Las Vegas, Nevada, or book an appointment online today.
When you eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar rises. Then your pancreas releases insulin, which clears the excess sugar out of your bloodstream.
When your pancreas doesn't work, or your body stops responding to insulin (insulin resistance), your blood sugar stays above the normal range. That's when you have diabetes.
Though they’re not the only types of diabetes, there are two primary types:
Type 1 diabetes occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your pancreas, and the damaged pancreas stops producing insulin. This type usually begins in childhood.
This type begins when your body stops using insulin. Though the pancreas produces insulin, your blood sugar still rises higher than normal. Type 2 diabetes most often appears in adults but is increasingly diagnosed in adolescents.
All types of diabetes cause:
You may also have tingling or numbness in your feet or develop non-healing sores on your feet.
When your blood sugar levels stay above the healthy range, the sugar directly damages blood vessels, as well as the nerves that regulate your heart and blood vessels. That damage eventually leads to cardiovascular disease.
People with diabetes have a higher risk of developing the two conditions that contribute to heart disease: hypertension and high cholesterol.
In the earliest stage of Type 2 diabetes, called prediabetes, your blood sugar is above normal but not high enough to qualify as diabetes. At this point, you can prevent the disease by changing your diet, getting more exercise, and losing weight.
Once you develop diabetes, a cure is not currently available. But you can prevent or slow down nerve and blood vessel damage by keeping your blood sugar within the normal range.
A comprehensive diabetes treatment plan may include:
People with Type 1 diabetes always need to take insulin. Those with Type 2 diabetes may be able to control their blood sugar with lifestyle changes. If not, they need medication, whether insulin or another drug, that lowers blood sugar.
If you need diabetes management or would like to learn more about preventing diabetes and heart disease, call Advanced Heart Care Associates or book an appointment online today.