Debora Grandison, a 63-year-old author from St. Louis, Missouri, first learned she had heart problems in 1988 when she went into premature labor. The labor stopped, but the medications she needed caused complications, leading to several weeks in intensive care, where she was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and gestational diabetes.
Grandison’s blood glucose levels returned to normal after giving birth to her son, but her heart palpitations continued. Three years later, Grandison went to the doctor because she thought she had the flu. It wasn’t the flu. Her blood glucose levels had skyrocketed to dangerous levels, and she was later diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Unfortunately, her health problems continued.
After several years of seeking answers from various doctors for severe heart palpitations, shortness of breath, pain in his left arm, and dizziness, Grandison was finally diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and she got a pacemakerHe later learned that there was also atrial fibrillationwhich increases the risk of stroke. But what worries Grandison, now a volunteer at Go Red for womenan initiative of the American Heart Association, is that she was never told anything about the risk of heart disease when she was diagnosed with diabetes. “I was told about complications like blindness, amputations and kidney disease, but that was it,” she said.
Nearly half of women in the U.S. don’t know that heart disease is the leading cause of death among women (it accounts for 1 in 5 deaths), however, more than 60 million have some form of heart disease. The numbers are even higher if they have diabetes. Women with diabetes have a higher chance of having a heart attack When they are younger, they have a higher risk of dying from that heart attack.
Diabetes also increases a woman’s risk of Having a stroke. High blood glucose levels It can increase fat Deposits that coat blood vessels, narrowing or blocking them. High blood glucose levels are also associated with elevated or high levels of triglycerides (a type of fat) in the blood, which are also associated with heart disease.
Common risk factors
So what is the relationship between heart disease, diabetes and stroke? The answer lies in the risk factors and the damage each of them can cause to the body.
In addition to a family history that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke or diabetes, there are other important risk factors: called cardiometabolic risk factors — that these three diseases have in common. These include:
- Having high cholesterol levels
- Having high triglyceride levels
- Eating a poor diet
- Being overweight or obese
- Not being physically active
- Smoking
Hypertension (high blood pressure) can also increase your risk of stroke and heart disease.
Each of these conditions can increase your risk for one of the other two. For example, having diabetes increases your risk for heart disease. “Having type 2 diabetes is similar to having had a heart attack,” she said. Dr. Icilma Fergus., a cardiologist and director of Cardiovascular Disparities at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. This means that the effect of diabetes does as much damage to the heart as a heart attack would.
But most importantly, Fergus explained, there are risk factors that can be modified, as lifestyle also plays a major role in the development of cardiometabolic risk factors. “For example, what you eat, how much you eat and what’s in what you eat. We’re starting to see people aged 17, 18 and 19 developing type 2 diabetes. The reason is that they eat a lot of calories and a lot of foods that are made with preservatives.”
Help yourself by knowing your numbers
Since some risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke are modifiable, you can take steps to reduce your risk. “I think women know they should get a mammogram and a gynecologic screening, but they don’t know [about getting checked for] “The heart is important,” Fergus said. “But it’s just as important. Heart problems are 80 percent preventable, so if we could control these risk factors before an event occurs, we could prevent or avoid these heart problems.”
Fergus recommended that once women hit their thirties, especially if they have a family history of heart disease or other risk factors, they should be aware of their blood sugar levels (called A1C levels), cholesterol levels, blood pressure levels, as well as weight and waist circumference. Simply going to your gynecologist, who may be the primary care physician for many women, is a start, she explained. “They can check your blood pressure and do blood tests. Ask them to talk about your blood pressure and what your blood shows. Does it show an increase in blood sugar? Does it show an increase in cholesterol?” Fergus said if you don’t have a primary care gynecologist and are concerned, you can go to an urgent care clinic and tell them you’re not feeling well. “Invariably, they’re going to check your blood pressure and they can check your blood. Urgent care centers can refer you to a specialist if you need to.”
Disparities between women and their health
Unfortunately, not all risk factors can be easily modified. For example, where you live, your education level and your income can all have an impact on your health. “These are called social determinants of health,” Fergus said. Even your ethnicity and whether you have a disability can play a role. “If you fall into these categories, these are risk factors that have been well documented to be linked to heart disease.”
Studies Studies show that people with lower incomes and education levels have higher rates of heart disease and lower rates of receiving timely treatment when they have symptoms. “If you have more education, you have more knowledge and can ask more questions,” Fergus said. “You may be able to realize something isn’t right sooner and be able to act on it. If you have less education, you may rely on what someone else says.”
If you live in a low-income area where it’s hard to get fresh or affordable food (called a food desert), this can have a strong effect on your health. Having fewer healthy food options means you’re likely to eat more processed foods, full of calories, fat, sugar, and salt. It may be harder to try to overcome some of these barriers, but being aware of them can help you become more aware of what you can change.
What you can do right now to reduce your risk
It can be overwhelming to think about the different things you might need to do to reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases suggests starting with Managing the “ABC”.”
- TO It is important to know and understand your A1C levels over the past three months. These will tell you what your blood sugar levels are and whether you are at risk for or have diabetes.
- B The key is to know what your blood pressure is. For most people, a healthy blood pressure is less than 120/80, but everyone is different, so ask your doctor what your blood pressure should be.
- do is for cholesterol. Ask your doctor what your cholesterol is. LDL (low-density lipoprotein), that is, the so-called “bad” cholesterol.
Another important measure is to keep triglycerides under control. Triglycerides are a fatty substance that builds up in the bloodstream and, when they are too high, they increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
If any of your risk factors or your triglyceride levels are high (above 150 mg/dL), you may be able to lower them with lifestyle changes: eat a healthy diet, get more exercise, and don’t smoke. If they don’t come down, you may need to take medications to help control your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
“There are simple steps you can take to become a healthy woman,” Fergus said. “So don’t despair. Don’t give up. You can handle this.”
This educational resource was created with the support of Amarin.
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