If you have type 2 diabetes, you’re two to four times more likely to have heart problems like blocked arteries, heart failure, or a stroke than someone without diabetes.
Even worse, if you do get a heart issue, it’s usually more severe than for people without diabetes. So, it’s crucial to have specific advice on how to take care of your heart if you’re diabetic.
The European Society of Cardiology has just published new guidelines to help doctors and patients manage these risks better.
Key Recommendations for Screening and Lifestyle
Firstly, the guidelines suggest that everyone with heart issues should be tested for diabetes, and everyone with diabetes should be checked for heart issues.
There’s a new risk score called SCORE2-Diabetes that doctors can use to find out your risk level for heart problems over the next 10 years.
This takes into account your age, whether you smoke, your blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, as well as things specifically related to diabetes like your blood sugar levels and how your kidneys are doing.
The guidelines strongly recommend that all diabetes patients make healthy lifestyle choices to reduce their risk of heart issues. If you’re overweight, losing weight is really important.
You should aim to be active for either 150 minutes at a moderate level or 75 minutes at a high level every week. Also, you should stop smoking and eat a diet that’s rich in good fats, like a Mediterranean or plant-based diet.
Medication and Special Conditions
If you have diabetes and have already experienced heart issues, the guidelines recommend new types of medications called SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists.
These can lower your chances of another heart attack or stroke. This medication recommendation applies even if your blood sugar levels are okay.
Special Focus on Heart Failure and Kidney Health
People with diabetes are much more likely to develop heart failure. Therefore, your doctor should regularly check for early signs of heart failure.
Certain medicines can help reduce the risk of going to the hospital or dying from heart failure.
Also, because diabetes often damages kidneys and bad kidneys increase heart risks, anyone with diabetes should be tested for kidney problems at least once a year.
Medications like SGLT2 inhibitors can help protect both your heart and your kidneys.
Monitoring Heart Rhythm and Blood Pressure
As you get older, having diabetes increases your risk of a type of irregular heartbeat that can lead to stroke, heart failure, or even death.
That’s why the guidelines suggest checking for this condition, especially if you’re 65 or older or have high blood pressure.
Also, regularly checking your blood pressure can help catch and treat high blood pressure, reducing your risk of heart issues.
Women and Diabetes
Diabetes puts women at an even higher risk for heart problems compared to men. The guidelines urge that more women should be included in medical studies about diabetes and heart health.
This will help doctors understand if men and women need different treatments. The main point is, women should get the same level of care as men when it comes to managing heart risks with diabetes.
The Takeaway
These new guidelines give clear advice to help people with diabetes manage their elevated risks for heart problems.
Whether it’s through lifestyle changes, medication, or regular check-ups for heart and kidney health, the aim is to give everyone the best chance at a healthy life.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and Vitamin K2 could help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies that exercise in middle age reversed worrisome heart failure, and results showing this drug combo can cut risk of stroke and heart attack by half.
The study was published in European Heart Journal.
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