Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your heart and blood vessels healthy.What are diabetes problems? Too much sugar in the blood for a long time causes diabetes problems. This high blood sugar can damage many parts of the body, such as the heart, blood vessels Blood vessels Tubular channels for blood transport, of which there are three principal types: arteries, capillaries, and veins. Only the larger arteries and veins in the body bear distinct names. , and kidneys. Diabetes problems can be scary, but there is a lot you can do to prevent them or slow them down. This booklet is about heart and blood vessel blood vessel n. An elastic tubular channel, such as an artery, a vein, a sinus, or a capillary, through which the blood circulates. blood vessel(s), n the network of muscular tubes that carry blood. problems caused by diabetes. You will learn the things you can do each day and during the year to stay healthy and prevent diabetes problems. What should I do each day to stay healthy with diabetes? Follow the healthy eating plan that you and your doctor or dietitian dietitian /di·e·ti·tian/ (di?e-tish´in) one skilled in the use of diet in health and disease. di·e·ti·tian or di·e·ti·cian n. A person specializing in dietetics. have worked out. Eat your meals and snacks at around the same times each day. Be active a total of 30 minutes most days. Ask your doctor what activities are best for you. Take your diabetes medicine at the same times each day. Check your blood sugar every day. Each time you check your blood sugar, write the number in your record book. Call your doctor if your numbers are too high or too low for 2 to 3 days. Check your feet every day for cuts, blisters, sores, swelling, redness, or sore toenails. Brush and floss (Free, Libre and Open Source Software) See free software and open source. your teeth and gums every day. Don't smoke. What do my heart and blood vessels do? Your heart and blood vessels make up your circulatory (SIR-kyoo-la-TOR-ee) system. Your heart is a big muscle that pumps blood through your body. Your heart pumps blood carrying oxygen to large blood vessels, called arteries (AR-ter-eez), and small blood vessels, called capillaries (KAP-ih-lair-eez). Other blood vessels, called veins, carry blood back to the heart. What damages my heart and blood vessels? * Having high blood sugar. * Having high blood pressure. * Smoking cigarettes. * Having high blood cholesterol (kuh-LES-ter-all) and other abnormal blood fats. * Eating foods full of saturated fat saturated fat, any solid fat that is an ester of glycerol and a saturated fatty acid. The molecules of a saturated fat have only single bonds between carbon atoms; if double bonds are present in the fatty acid portion of the molecule, the fat is said to be and cholesterol. * Being overweight. * Not being active. What can I do to prevent heart and blood vessel problems? * Keep your blood sugar and blood pressure as close to normal as you can. * Keep blood cholesterol and other blood fats as close to normal as you can. * Take your diabetes medicines at the same times each day. * Take your heart pills and blood pressure pills as your doctor tells you. * Ask your doctor if you should take an aspirin each day to help protect your heart. * Follow the healthy eating plan you work out with your doctor or dietitian. * Do not smoke. * Tell your doctor right away if you think you have any signs of heart or blood vessel problems. Symptoms of heart and blood vessel problems can be shortness of breath Shortness of Breath Definition Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, is a feeling of difficult or labored breathing that is out of proportion to the patient's level of physical activity. ; dizziness; pain in the chest, arms, shoulder, or back; sudden loss of sight; trouble talking; or numbness or weakness in one arm or one leg. You also may feel very tired and have swollen ankles or feet. See page 11 for the warning signs of stroke. * Be active a total of 30 minutes most days. Use stairs; park farther from the shopping center shopping center, a concentration of retail, service, and entertainment enterprises designed to serve the surrounding region. The modern shopping center differs from its antecedents—bazaars and marketplaces—in that the shops are usually amalgamated into . Walk, swim, do housework, or garden. Check with your doctor to know what activities are best for you. * Get to a healthy weight. How do my blood vessels get clogged? Several things, including having diabetes, can increase your blood cholesterol too much. Cholesterol is a substance that is made by the body and used for many important functions. It is also found in some animal foods we eat. When cholesterol is too high, the insides of large blood vessels become clogged and narrowed. This problem is called atherosclerosis (ATH-uh-row-skluh-RO-sis). Clogged and narrowed blood vessels make it harder for enough healthy blood to get to all parts of your body. This can cause one or more problems. What heart problems can unhealthy blood vessels cause? When arteries become clogged and narrowed, you may have one or more heart problems: * Chest pain, also called angina (an-JY-nuh). When you have angina, you feel pain in your chest, arms, shoulders, or back. You may feel the pain more when your heart works faster, such as when you exercise. The pain may go away when you rest. You also may feel very weak and sweaty. If you do not get it treated, chest pain may happen more often. If diabetes has damaged the heart nerves, you may not feel the chest pain. * Heart attack. A heart attack happens when a blood vessel in or near the heart becomes blocked. Not enough blood can get to that part of the heart muscle. That area of the heart muscle stops working, so the heart is weaker. During a heart attack, you may have chest pain along with nausea, indigestion indigestion or dyspepsia, discomfort during or after eating caused by some interference with the normal digestive process. Symptoms include nausea, heartburn, abdominal pain, gas distress, and a feeling of abdominal distention. , extreme weakness, and sweating. * Cardiomyopathy Cardiomyopathy Definition Cardiomyopathy is a chronic disease of the heart muscle (myocardium), in which the muscle is abnormally enlarged, thickened, and/or stiffened. (KAR-dee-oh-my-OP-uhthee). Cardiomyopathy happens when narrowed blood vessels let less blood flow through the heart. This damage makes the heart muscle weak. How does heart disease cause high blood pressure? Clogged and narrowed blood vessels leave a smaller opening for blood to flow through. It is like turning on a garden hose and holding your thumb over the opening. The smaller opening makes the water shoot out with more pressure. In the same way, narrowed blood vessels lead to high blood pressure. Other factors, such as kidney problems and being overweight, also can lead to high blood pressure. Diabetes and high blood pressure often go hand-in-hand. If you have heart, eye, or kidney problems from diabetes, high blood pressure can make them worse. You will see your blood pressure written with two numbers separated by a slash. For example: 120/70. Keep your first number below 130 and your second number below 85. If you have high blood pressure, ask your doctor how to lower it. Your doctor may ask you to take an ACE inhibitor ACE inhibitor (ā'sē'ē`, ās) or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ăn'jēōtĕn`sĭn) . This type of blood pressure medicine is best for people with diabetes who have kidney problems because it helps keep the kidneys healthy. To lower your blood pressure, your doctor may also ask you to lose weight; eat more fruits and vegetables; eat less salt and high-sodium foods such as canned soups, luncheon meats, salty snack foods A list of snack foods is shown below. For more information, see snack foods. List of snack foods Chips (Crisps)
What are the warning signs of a stroke? A stroke happens when part of your brain is not getting enough blood and stops working. Depending on the part of the brain that is damaged, a stroke can cause * Sudden weakness or numbness of your face, arm, or leg on one side of your body. * Sudden confusion, trouble talking, or trouble understanding. * Sudden dizziness, loss of balance, or trouble walking. * Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes or sudden double vision. * Sudden severe headache. Sometimes, one or more of these warning signs may happen and then disappear. You might be having a "mini-stroke," also called a TIA (1) (Telecommunications Industry Association, Arlington, VA, www.tiaonline.org) A membership organization founded in 1988 that sets telecommunications standards worldwide. It was originally an EIA working group that was spun off and merged with the U.S. (transient [TRAN-see-unt] ischemic Ischemic An inadequate supply of blood to a part of the body, caused by partial or total blockage of an artery. Mentioned in: Antiangiogenic Therapy, Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Ventricular Fibrillation ischemic [is-KEE-mik] attack). If you have any of these warning signs, tell your doctor right away. How can clogged blood vessels hurt my legs and feet? Peripheral vascular (puh-RIF-uh-rul VASK-yoo-ler) disease can happen when the openings in your blood vessels become narrow and not enough blood gets to your legs and feet. You may feel pain in your buttocks buttocks /but·tocks/ (but´oks) the two fleshy prominences formed by the gluteal muscles on the lower part of the back. , the back of your legs, or your thighs when you stand, walk, or exercise. What can I do to prevent or control peripheral vascular disease Peripheral Vascular Disease Definition Peripheral vascular disease is a narrowing of blood vessels that restricts blood flow. It mostly occurs in the legs, but is sometimes seen in the arms. ? * Don't smoke. * Keep blood pressure under control. * Keep blood fats close to normal. * Exercise. You also may need surgery to treat this problem. Which medical tests will help me keep track of any heart or blood vessel problems? * Have your blood pressure checked every time you see your doctor. Ask your doctor what your blood pressure is and what it should be. * Your doctor may order an exercise stress test to see if you have any problems. The doctor will see how your heart performs during exercise. * Have your blood fats checked once each year. This checkup check·up n. 1. An examination or inspection. 2. A general physical examination. checkup See Yearly checkup. includes four tests: * Blood cholesterol. Your number should be 200 or lower. * LDL LDL - ["LDL: A Logic-Based Data-Language", S. Tsur et al, Proc VLDB 1986, Kyoto Japan, Aug 1986, pp.33-41]. (bad cholesterol bad cholesterol LDL-cholesterol Cardiovascular disease Cholesterol transported in the circulation by low-density lipoprotein, the elevation of which is directly related to the risk of CAD and cholesterol-related morbidity See LDL-cholesterol. Cf Good cholesterol. ). Your number should be 100 or lower. * HDL (Hardware Description Language) A language used to describe the functions of an electronic circuit for documentation, simulation or logic synthesis (or all three). Although many proprietary HDLs have been developed, Verilog and VHDL are the major standards. (good cholesterol 'good' cholesterol A popular term for HDL-cholesterol, see there. Cf 'Bad' cholesterol. ). Your number should be 45 or higher. * Triglycerides Triglycerides Fatty compounds synthesized from carbohydrates during the process of digestion and stored in the body's adipose (fat) tissues. High levels of triglycerides in the blood are associated with insulin resistance. (try-GLISS-er-ides) (the form in which energy is stored in your fat cells). Your number should be 200 or lower. If your numbers are not normal, ask your doctor if you should take medicine to make them normal. For more information Diabetes Teachers (nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, and other health professionals) To find a diabetes teacher near you, call the American Association of Diabetes Educators toll-free at 1-800-TEAMUP4 (1-800-832-6874), or look on the Internet at www.aadenet.org and click on "Find an Educator." Recognized Diabetes Education Programs (teaching programs approved by the American Diabetes Association The American Diabetes Association, or the ADA, is an American health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the American Diabetes Association conducts programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, reaching hundreds of ) To find a program near you, call toll-free at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383), or see www.diabetes.org/education/edustate2.asp on the Internet. Dietitians To find a dietitian near you, call the American Dietetic dietetic /di·e·tet·ic/ (di?ah-tet´ik) pertaining to diet or proper food. di·e·tet·ic adj. 1. Of or relating to diet. 2. Association's National Center for Nutrition and Dietetics dietetics /di·e·tet·ics/ (-iks) the science of diet and nutrition. di·e·tet·ics n. The branch of therapeutics concerned with the practical application of diet in relation to health and disease. toll-free at 1-800-366-1655, or look on the Internet at www.eatright.org and click on "Find a Dietitian." Government The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, n.pr established in 1948, this division of the National Institutes of Health is responsible for research and education on cardiovascular, pulmonary, systemic diseases, and sleep disorders. (NHLBI NHLBI, n.pr See National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. ) is part of the National Institutes of Health. To learn more about heart and blood vessel problems, write or call NHLBI Information Center, P.O. Box 30105, Bethesda, MD 20824-0105, (301) 592-8573; or see www.nhlbi.nih.gov on the Internet. More in the series The "Prevent Diabetes Problems" series includes seven booklets that can help you learn more about how to prevent diabetes problems. For free single copies of these booklets, call, write, fax, or email the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse 1 Information Way Bethesda, MD 20892-3560 Phone: (301) 654-3327 Fax: (301) 907-8906 Email: ndic@info.niddk.nih.gov These booklets are also available under "Health Information" at www.niddk.nih.gov on the Internet. Acknowledgments The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse(NDIC) is an information dissemination service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health, which is part of the U.S. thanks the people who helped review or field-test this booklet. For American Association of Diabetes Educators Lynn Grieger, R.D., C.D.E. Arlington, VT Celia Levesque, R.N., C.D.E. Montgomery, AL Teresa McMahon, Pharm.D., C.D.E. Seattle, WA Barbara Schreiner, R.N., M.N., C.D.E. Galveston, TX For American Diabetes Association Phyllis Barrier, M.S., R.D., C.D.E. Alexandria, VA Linda Haas, Ph.C., R.N., C.D.E. Seattle, WA Kathleen Mahoney, M.S.N., R.N., C.D.E. Drexel Hill, PA Randi Kington, M.S., R.N., C.S., C.D.E. Hartford, CT Diabetes Research and Training Center Albert Einstein School of Medicine Norwalk Hospital Norwalk, CT Jill Ely, R.N., C.D.E. Sam Engel, M.D. Pam Howard, A.P.R.N., C.D.E. Diabetes Research and Training Center Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, IN Madelyn Wheeler, M.S., R.D., F.A.D.A., C.D.E. Diabetes Research and Training Center VA/JDF Diabetes Research Center Vanderbilt School of Medicine Nashville, TN Ok Chon Allison, M.S.N., R.N.C.S., A.N.E, C.D.E. Barbara Backer, B.S. James W. Pichert, Ph.D. Alvin Powers, M.D. Melissa E. Schweikhart Michael B. Smith Kathleen Wolffe, R.N. Grady Health System Diabetes Clinic Atlanta, GA Ernestine Baker, R.N., F.N.P., C.D.E. Kris Ernst, R.N., C.D.E. Margaret Fowke, R.D., L.D. Kay Mann, R.N., C.D.E. Health Care Financing Administration Baltimore, MD Jan Drass, R.N., C.D.E. Indian Health Service Albuquerque, NM Ruth Bear. R.D., C.D.E. Dorinda Bradley, R.N., C.D.E. Terry Fisher, R.N. Lorraine Valdez, R.N., C.D.E. Indian Health Service Red Lake, MN Charmaine Branchaud, B.S.N., R.N., C.D.E. Medlantic Research Center Washington, DC Resa Levelan, M.D. Texas Diabetes Council Texas Department of Health Austin, TX Luby Garza-Abijaoude, M.S., R.D.. L.D. |
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