How Diabetes and Heart Disease are Connected

By Lori LaPorte | March 18, 2019 |

When diabetics were asked to respond to a question about their risk for heart disease in a 2018 Harris Poll, only about half of them knew they had a higher chance of developing heart problems because of their diabetes. If your aging relative is diabetic, knowing the link between diabetes and heart disease could help you to understand their risks.

What Are the Risks?

The number one cause of early death in people with diabetes is heart problems. The statistics concerning diabetes and heart disease are startling. According to an article posted on the AARP website:

Home Care Services Huntington Beach CA – How Diabetes and Heart Disease are Connected

Every 80 seconds, someone with diabetes is admitted to the hospital for heart problems.
Every 120 seconds, a person with diabetes is admitted to the hospital for a stroke.
Having diabetes makes men twice as likely to get heart disease. It makes women three times as likely.
7 in 10 older adults who have diabetes die from heart problems.
1 in 6 older adults with diabetes die from stroke.

How Does Diabetes Damage the Heart?

The link between diabetes and heart disease was first noticed in 1979. Years of research since have proven the link. The culprit is high blood sugar levels. Over time, it damages blood vessels. It also harms nerves that regulate how the heart and blood vessels work. This leaves diabetics more susceptible to some of the risk factors for heart disease, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high triglycerides.

What Can Be Done to Reduce the Risk?

There are a number of things that can be done to protect your aging relative from developing heart disease. Some steps to take are:

Manage blood sugar levels, keeping them as close to normal as possible. Follow the doctor’s advice for testing, medications, diet, and exercise.
If the older adult is overweight, help them to reach and maintain a healthy weight. A loss of just 10 to 20 pounds can help lower blood sugar levels.
Try to reduce stress since it can cause blood vessels to constrict, which makes blood pressure higher.
Smokers should quit. Smoking raises the risk of heart disease even in people who are not diabetic because it damages blood vessels.

Home care services can help your older family member to reduce risks for heart disease. A home care services provider can remind them to check their blood sugar levels and take medications. They can also prepare healthy meals that fit into the senior’s eating plan. Home care services providers can also increase the physical activity level of the older adult by involving them in household activities, going for walks, or driving them to the gym or exercise classes.

Sources: https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2019/diabetes-and-heart-disease-link.html?intcmp=AE-HP-TTN-R3-POS3-REALPOSS-TODAY

https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/heart-disease-stroke

https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/type-2-diabetes-guide/heart-blood-disease#1

If you or an aging loved-one are considering home care services in Huntington Beach, CA, please contact the caring staff at Easy Living Home Care today. Providing Non-Medical Home Care Services in Orange County, CA since 2009. Call for Assistance: (949) 282-5017 or (949) 842-6831

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Lori LaPorte

Founder/Owner at Easy Living Home Care

Easy Living Home Care owner and administrator, Lori LaPorte, has over forty years of extensive experience caring for the elderly community. Ms. LaPorte graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelors Degree in Special Education, Elementary Education and Health.

At a very young age it was always Ms. LaPorte’s passion to work with the elderly. She was a caregiver at a nursing home in high school and college and volunteered in senior centers and senior events held by the city in which she grew up. After graduation, Ms. LaPorte became a special education teacher for sixteen years.

She put her teaching career on the sidelines to raise two wonderful children, during which her passion for the elderly inspired her to start Easy Living Home Care in 2009. Ms. Laporte wanted to help people, especially seniors, find competent, qualified, and caring in-home care at reasonable rates.

Ms LaPorte takes an active role in conducting and managing all operations of her business. She is patient, compassionate and listens. Ms. Laporte is always available to her clients and staff.

In her spare time, Lori volunteers for the American Red Cross and Leashes of Love canine rescue organization.