Uncontrolled diabetes can cause heart and blood vessel problems

On National Diabetes Day, celebrated on Wednesday (June 26, 2024), cardiologist Flavio Cure, a member of Brazilian Society of Cardiology and European Society of CardiologyHe drew attention to the cardiovascular complications that can be caused by diabetes that cannot be controlled with medications, physical activity and healthy eating.

These include high blood pressure, myocardial infarction, angina, stroke, and aneurysm.

Diabetes diabetic It is a metabolic syndrome with multiple origins, resulting from a lack of insulin in the body or its inability to exert its effects properly, causing permanently high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia). Many people do not realize that they have diabetes because the symptoms of this disease often go unnoticed.

Therefore, Cure is also the coordinator of the Hospital Studies Center. Cuba Star From Rede D'Or, people are recommended to have regular check-ups with a general practitioner, who will examine the patient.

“Everyone should do this. A very common symptom of diabetes that sometimes goes unnoticed is that a person begins to feel thirsty and urinate more. Most of the time, in its initial stage, type 2 diabetes is asymptomatic.”The cardiologist said Brazil Agency.

In addition to frequent thirst and the desire to urinate several times, symptoms of diabetes include chronic fatigue and lack of energy needed to carry out daily activities, according to the Times of India website. SBC (Brazilian Society of Cardiology).

The incidence of acute myocardial infarction and stroke is similar in men and women with diabetes, but twice as high as in people without diabetes. In women, the condition tends to be more severe, with a higher mortality rate.“He said the treatment.

According to the IDF Diabetes Atlas (International Diabetes Federation, in Portuguese) Brazil is the fifth-highest diabetes country in the world, with 16.8 million adult patients aged 20 to 79 years.

It is followed only by China, India, the United States and Pakistan. The incidence of the disease in 2030 will reach 21.5 million.

Data from the International Diabetes Federation shows that up to 80% of people with type 2 diabetes die from heart-related causes. Globally, the death rate exceeds that of HIV, tuberculosis and breast cancer.

Flavio Cure said that diabetics can avoid the risk of heart attacks by controlling risk factors, “Trying to normalize glucose levels, control cholesterol levels, and exercise.”. He also advised people to kick the smoking habit.

In diabetics, autonomic neuropathy, a disorder affecting the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, can cause syncope, i.e. fainting. Another important problem is CVA (cerebrovascular accident) which can be confused with hypoglycemia in diabetics.

The person becomes confused and feels tired. But hypoglycemia responds quickly to sugar replacement and the person returns to normal.“The expert said,”

Cure also warned of peripheral vascular insufficiency, when the arteries supplying the lower extremities become blocked, leading to gangrene and amputation of the lower extremities.

“It causes problems with the blood vessels, the blood vessels get bad, the blood doesn't move, it causes gangrene and (the limb) has to be removed. But nowadays, if a person takes care of themselves, it doesn't come to that.”

The cardiologist talked about the importance of diabetics controlling their weight, reducing carbohydrate intake, exercising as much as possible, and seeing a doctor regularly.

Kidney health

president sonerg (Rio de Janeiro Nephrology Society) Pedro Tulio Rocha, a nephrologist at São Lucas Copacabana Hospital, said that increased blood sugar levels affect the body in a systemic way, resulting in increased burden mainly on the kidneys.

So much so that it is one of the main causes of chronic kidney disease, hence the transplantation of this organ. According to the Latest dialysis census in Brazil2023, published Brazilian Society of Nephrology32% of dialysis patients have diabetes.

said Dr. Pedro Tulio Rocha Brazil Agency Diabetes affects the kidneys as a result of a series of factors.

“Excess glucose is filtered by the kidneys and is harmful to the cells of the renal tubules and glomerulus (the main filtration unit of the kidney). Diabetes increases the deposition of cholesterol in the walls of blood vessels. This process is called atherosclerosis, and the kidneys suffer from this because it is an organ full of blood vessels..“

He stated that there are also effects of diabetes on other organs such as the heart and liver, which may lead to harmful consequences for the kidneys.

In the long term, you can develop kidney disease due to diabetes, leading to chronic kidney disease.

The president of Sonerg stated that diabetes, along with high blood pressure, are two of the main diseases that lead to the need for dialysis. He also stated that kidney damage can be observed in the pre-diabetes stage, however, progression to more advanced kidney disease occurs with already established diabetes.

Stady

A study recently published in British Journal of Sports Medicine People who exercise more, at a moderate to vigorous intensity, appear to be less likely to develop diabetes. diabetic Type II, especially those with high genetic risk.

Member of the Spime (Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism), Dr. Rosita Fontes stated that physical activity prevents and controls sugar levels when the muscles work, that is, using blood glucose to produce energy.

As a result, the insulin made by the body works better and blood glucose levels decrease.

The specialist said that physical exercise is always healthy, even for those who cannot practice it for longer periods and for those who do not use the same amount of intensity during activity, and there is also benefit in preventing diabetes.

To get out of a sedentary lifestyle, she recommends starting with light and short exercises, such as walking short distances, and gradually increasing the duration and intensity of the exercise.

According to the endocrinologist, physical exercise is also essential for those who already suffer from diabetes (type 2 or type 1), because it helps control the disease, enhancing drug therapy.

The doctor recommended that before starting to practice physical exercises, it is important for a person to consult a doctor, as he will be able to assess, depending on the patient's physical condition, weight and existing diseases, how he can benefit from the activities, to what degree they can be practiced and for how long per day.

Type 2 diabetes is when the pancreas produces insulin, sometimes in increased amounts, but the body does not use it properly, Rosetta Fontes said.

It is the most common type, accounting for 90% of cases, with a higher incidence in adults. Type 1 diabetes tends to occur in young people; the body cannot produce the insulin it needs to function properly.

With information from Brazil Agency.