How does Type 2 Diabetes affect your heart?

If you have Type 2 Diabetes, one of the biggest questions on your mind is, 'How will this affect the rest of my body?' Especially our heart. There is actually a strong connection between diabetes and the heart. From clogged blood vessels to heart failure, diabetes can cause a variety of heart problems. So, to protect your heart, it is very important to be aware of the types of heart diseases associated with diabetes and their warning signs. Let's talk about that today.

Coronary Heart Disease

This is the most common heart disease among people with diabetes. Simply put, a thick, waxy substance called plaque builds up inside the arteries that carry blood to our heart muscles.

Over time, these plaque deposits gradually thicken, making your blood vessels less flexible and harder. As this plaque builds up, blood flow becomes less efficient. This means that the heart doesn't get the oxygen it needs. Sometimes, these plaques can rupture, increasing the risk of blood clots forming inside the veins.

When all of this comes together, the following situations can occur:

• Angina: You may feel a pain, pressure, or squeezing in your chest. Sometimes this pain can spread to your arms, back, or jaw. For some, it feels like indigestion. This condition can get worse during exercise or when you get angry.

• Heartbeat Irregularities (Arrhythmia): This is a change in the speed or rhythm of your heartbeat. It can feel like your heart is skipping beats, fluttering, or beating too fast. The most serious case of this is sudden cardiac arrest.

• Heart Attack: This occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the heart, completely blocking blood flow. It usually causes pain in the center or left side of the chest. But it doesn't always happen that way. People with diabetes are more likely to have 'silent heart attacks', which are painless and symptom-free.

Heart Failure

When you hear the name Heart Failure, some people think that the heart has completely stopped. But that's not the case. What happens in this is that the heart becomes weak and cannot pump enough blood to the body. Having diabetes, coronary artery disease, and high blood pressure for a long time increases your risk of this condition. Because these diseases make your heart work harder for a long time.

When your body doesn't get enough blood, your cells don't get the oxygen they need. This can cause symptoms like:

• Feeling tired and weak all the time
• Difficulty exercising
• Rapid heartbeat or changes in rhythm
• Difficulty staying focused on something
• Swelling of the legs, ankles, and feet
• Difficulty breathing

Cardiomyopathy

If you don't control your diabetes properly, you can develop a condition called cardiomyopathy. This is when the heart muscle becomes thick and stiff. It can no longer work properly. This can lead to heart rhythm problems and heart failure.

There may be no symptoms in the early stages, but as the condition worsens, symptoms such as:

• Difficulty breathing even at rest
• Chest pain
• Coughing, especially when lying down
• Dizziness or fainting
• Weakness and fatigue
• Swelling of the legs, ankles, and feet

Other health problems related to diabetes

Diabetes is not only linked to these major heart diseases, but also to several other problems.

High Blood Pressure

This is when the pressure of blood against the walls of the blood vessels is higher than normal. This makes the heart work harder than usual, and it also damages the blood vessels. Most people with type 2 diabetes also have high blood pressure. When these two things come together, they put a lot of strain on the heart, increasing the risk of serious conditions like heart disease and stroke.

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

In this condition, plaque builds up in the arteries in your legs. The main symptom is a throbbing pain when you walk or climb stairs. This pain goes away when you rest. You may also feel heaviness, numbness, or weakness in your legs.

PAD is a serious warning sign . If plaque builds up in the blood vessels in your legs, it's likely that the same thing will happen in the blood vessels in your heart. PAD increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

Stroke

Diabetes also increases your risk of having a stroke, which is a blockage in the blood supply to part of the brain. Symptoms can come on suddenly. They include:

• Facial drooping: One side of the face appears to droop when smiling.
• Difficulty speaking: Words get slurred, making it difficult to speak.
• Arm weakness: One arm feels numb, and it becomes difficult to lift both arms.

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