Stroke and Diabetes

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• QWhy does having diabetes increase my risk of heart disease and stroke?

  2 Answers

  A

  

  A American Diabetes Association answered

  Having diabetes means that you're likely to have certain conditions, or risk factors, that increase your chances for having heart disease or a stroke. These conditions are:

  • being overweight or obese
  • having high blood pressure
  • having abnormal blood fat (cholesterol) levels
  • having protein in the urine
  • having a family history of heart disease

  You can't change your family history, but taking care of your diabetes and the conditions that come with it can lower your chances of having a heart attack or a stroke. You can do this by keeping your ABCs of diabetes on target. Listed below are the ABC targets set by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for most people with diabetes. The closer your numbers are to the targets, the better your chances of delaying or preventing a heart attack or a stroke. Write down your most recent results and your targets. If you're unsure of your results or your targets, talk with your health care team.

  • A is for A1C or estimated average glucose. It's the blood glucose (sugar) check "with a memory." It tells you your average blood glucose for the past 2 to 3 months.
  • B is for blood pressure. Your blood pressure numbers tell you the force of blood inside your vessels. When your blood pressure is high, your heart has to work harder than it should.
  • C is for cholesterol. Your cholesterol numbers tell you the amount of fat in your blood. Some kinds, like high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, help protect your heart. Others, like low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, can clog your blood vessels and lead to heart disease. Triglycerides are another kind of blood fat that raises your risk for a heart attack or a stroke.

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• QAre people with diabetes at increased risk for stroke?

  3 Answers

  A

  

  A American Diabetes Association answered

  People with diabetes have a higher-than-average risk of having a heart attack or stroke. These strike people with diabetes more than twice as often as people without diabetes. A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of your brain is suddenly interrupted. Then brain tissue is damaged. Most strokes happen because a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain or neck. A stroke can cause movement problems, pain, numbness, and problems with thinking, remembering, or speaking. Some people also have emotional problems, such as depression, after a stroke.

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• QI have diabetes; can I prevent a heart attack or stroke?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A Healthy Humans answered

  Steps to prevent a heart attack or stroke if you have diabetes include limiting all of your risk factors and maintaining an optimal HgA1C. What that means is lowering your blood sugar. The way to lower your blood sugar is to decrease the number of calories you consume. Also, you can lower your blood sugar by decreasing the amount of starches that you eat. For example, it is much better for diabetics to eat green vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli and bok choy than it is for a diabetic to eat potatoes and white rice. The potatoes and white rice will be converted to sugar whereas the green leafy vegetables will not.
  So the first step is to look at the number of calories that you are consuming. If you are consuming too many calories or you are overweight then you need to decrease your number of calories, which can be done with a nutritionist under medical guidance. The second thing is to choose your calories wisely and not to choose foods that are high on the glycemic index (i.e. foods that will raise your blood sugar like fruit juice, alcohol, dates and white flour, just to name a few). Third, you must be exercising! Aerobic exercise burns blood sugar and lowers triglycerides. So the key for diabetes prevention is diet, exercise and lastly, stress management. If you are under a lot of stress, you will produce cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that raises blood sugar and puts weight on in the mid line. If you do not learn to transform the way you react to stress and change your perception to stress you will continue to produce cortisol, which will increase your blood sugar.
  All of these steps will help control your diabetes, and in controlling your diabetes you can prevent a heart attack or stroke. In addition, your physician may have you on appropriate medications for heart attack and stroke prevention. These may include medications to lower your blood pressure, lower your cholesterol as well as aspirin. People who have diabetes and high triglycerides may speak with their physician about taking omega 3 fish oil as a way of decreasing their triglycerides and helping to decrease their blood sugar and inflammation.
• QHow can I lower my risk of heart disease and stroke if I have diabetes?

  3 Answers

  A

  

  A American Diabetes Association answered

  If you have diabetes, you can help to lower your risk of heart disease and stroke by keeping your ABCs of diabetes on target. Listed below are the ABC targets set by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for most people with diabetes. The closer your numbers are to the targets, the better your chances of delaying or preventing a heart attack or a stroke. Write down your most recent results and your targets. If you're unsure of your results or your targets, talk with your health care team.
  
  - A is for A1C or estimated average glucose. It's the blood glucose (sugar) check "with a memory." It tells you your average blood glucose for the past 2 to 3 months.
  
  - B is for blood pressure. Your blood pressure numbers tell you the force of blood inside your vessels. When your blood pressure is high, your heart has to work harder than it should.
  
  - C is for cholesterol. Your cholesterol numbers tell you the amount of fat in your blood. Some kinds, like high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, help protect your heart. Others, like low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, can clog your blood vessels and lead to heart disease. Triglycerides are another kind of blood fat that raises your risk for a heart attack or a stroke.
  
  You'll see that the small steps you take each day will result in big rewards in the long run. These steps will help you take special care of your heart and blood vessels. Talk with your health care team about how to take action.

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• QIf I have diabetes, what factors raise my risk of stroke?

  1 Answer

  A

  

  A American Diabetes Association answered

  Having diabetes raises your risk for stroke. But your risk is even greater if:

  • you're over age 55
  • your family background is African American
  • you've already had a stroke or a transient ischemic (attack (also called a TIA or a mini-stroke)
  • you have a family history of stroke or TIAs
  • you have heart disease
  • you have high blood pressure
  • you're overweight
  • you have high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (bad) cholesterol and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (good) cholesterol levels
  • you smoke

  You can't change some of these risk factors. But you can lower your chances of having a stroke by taking care of your diabetes and tackling some of the other risk factors, such as losing weight if you're overweight. It's up to you.