This causes the heart muscle to weaken, increasing the risk of heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, and even heart failure. Keep track of your blood glucose blood sugar and blood pressure levels along with your weight. Let your health care team know if you see changes or trends of higher or lower results.

Exercise regularly and make healthy food choices. Diabetes Food Hub ® is an excellent resource for healthy recipes and tools to create shopping lists with items you can purchase through the site. If you have prediabetes or type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you should be aware of the symptoms of heart disease, including:.

Describe all your symptoms as accurately as possible and be honest about your lifestyle. Keep a log of your activities and eating habits. When you visit your primary care physician, cardiologist, diabetes educator, or endocrinologist, come prepared with questions such as:.

Based on your symptoms, your doctor may request any of these outpatient tests to evaluate your risk of heart disease:. Electrocardiograms EKG monitor your heart's electrical signals to check if your heart rate and rhythms are average. The test may reveal if you have heart enlargement due to high blood pressure or if you've had a heart attack in the past.

Like electrocardiograms, Holter monitoring checks for heart irregularities through a chest monitor over a hour period. Echocardiograms produce images of your heart beating and pumping blood.

Your doctor will be able to evaluate your heart valves and chambers to make sure they're functioning normally. Stress tests monitor how your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing respond when you in-crease your activity levels.

Cardiac computerized tomography CT scans use x-rays to compile a three-dimensional, high-quality picture of your heart and blood vessels. Your doctor will look for any signs of decreased blood flow and oxygen ischemia due to plaque buildup or blockages in your coronary arteries.

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging MRI is another way to produce detailed images of your heart and its vessels without the use of radiation.

It allows your doctor to evaluate the anatomy and function of your heart and its vessels to detect any blockages. If needed, you and your doctor will create a medication plan based on your individualized assessment, metabolic goals, and test results to reduce heart disease risk.

New Food and Drug Administration FDA -approved drugs not only lower blood sugar, but reduce the risk of heart disease as well. Recent trials show that these are much more beneficial for people with atherosclerotic coronary vascular disease the buildup of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on the artery walls , heart disease, or heart failure.

There are two classifications of medications: SGLT2 Inhibitors and GLP1 agonists. Want to know more? Listen to Medication Management for a Happy Heart.

Join the Know Diabetes by Heart initiative and receive a monthly newsletter filled with useful facts about the connection between diabetes and heart disease, in addition to resourceful, science-backed.

Breadcrumb Home You Can Manage and Thrive with Diabetes Diabetes and Your Heart Diabetes Can Affect Your Heart. Be Aware, Take Control Those affected by all types of diabetes are still at risk of developing heart disease, even if blood glucose blood sugar levels are managed.

You'll soon start receiving the latest Mayo Clinic health information you requested in your inbox. Hypoglycemia occurs when your blood sugar glucose level falls too low for bodily functions to continue.

There are several reasons why this can happen. The most common reason for low blood sugar is a side effect of medications used to treat diabetes. When you eat, your body breaks down foods into glucose. Glucose, the main energy source for your body, enters the cells with the help of insulin — a hormone produced by your pancreas.

Insulin allows the glucose to enter the cells and provide the fuel your cells need. Extra glucose is stored in your liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. When you haven't eaten for several hours and your blood sugar level drops, you will stop producing insulin.

Another hormone from your pancreas called glucagon signals your liver to break down the stored glycogen and release glucose into your bloodstream. This keeps your blood sugar within a standard range until you eat again. Your body also has the ability to make glucose.

This process occurs mainly in your liver, but also in your kidneys. With prolonged fasting, the body can break down fat stores and use products of fat breakdown as an alternative fuel.

If you have diabetes, you might not make insulin type 1 diabetes or you might be less responsive to it type 2 diabetes. As a result, glucose builds up in the bloodstream and can reach dangerously high levels. To correct this problem, you might take insulin or other medications to lower blood sugar levels.

But too much insulin or other diabetes medications may cause your blood sugar level to drop too much, causing hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can also occur if you eat less than usual after taking your regular dose of diabetes medication, or if you exercise more than you typically do.

Hypoglycemia usually occurs when you haven't eaten, but not always. Sometimes hypoglycemia symptoms occur after certain meals, but exactly why this happens is uncertain.

This type of hypoglycemia, called reactive hypoglycemia or postprandial hypoglycemia, can occur in people who have had surgeries that interfere with the usual function of the stomach.

The surgery most commonly associated with this is stomach bypass surgery, but it can also occur in people who have had other surgeries. Over time, repeated episodes of hypoglycemia can lead to hypoglycemia unawareness. The body and brain no longer produce signs and symptoms that warn of a low blood sugar, such as shakiness or irregular heartbeats palpitations.

When this happens, the risk of severe, life-threatening hypoglycemia increases. If you have diabetes, recurring episodes of hypoglycemia and hypoglycemia unawareness, your health care provider might modify your treatment, raise your blood sugar level goals and recommend blood glucose awareness training.

A continuous glucose monitor CGM is an option for some people with hypoglycemia unawareness. The device can alert you when your blood sugar is too low.

If you have diabetes, episodes of low blood sugar are uncomfortable and can be frightening. Fear of hypoglycemia can cause you to take less insulin to ensure that your blood sugar level doesn't go too low. This can lead to uncontrolled diabetes. Talk to your health care provider about your fear, and don't change your diabetes medication dose without discussing changes with your health care provider.

A continuous glucose monitor, on the left, is a device that measures your blood sugar every few minutes using a sensor inserted under the skin. An insulin pump, attached to the pocket, is a device that's worn outside of the body with a tube that connects the reservoir of insulin to a catheter inserted under the skin of the abdomen.

Insulin pumps are programmed to deliver specific amounts of insulin automatically and when you eat. Follow the diabetes management plan you and your health care provider have developed. If you're taking new medications, changing your eating or medication schedules, or adding new exercise, talk to your health care provider about how these changes might affect your diabetes management and your risk of low blood sugar.

Learn the signs and symptoms you experience with low blood sugar. This can help you identify and treat hypoglycemia before it gets too low. Frequently checking your blood sugar level lets you know when your blood sugar is getting low.

A continuous glucose monitor CGM is a good option for some people. A CGM has a tiny wire that's inserted under the skin that can send blood glucose readings to a receiver. If blood sugar levels are dropping too low, some CGM models will alert you with an alarm.

Some insulin pumps are now integrated with CGMs and can shut off insulin delivery when blood sugar levels are dropping too quickly to help prevent hypoglycemia. Be sure to always have a fast-acting carbohydrate with you, such as juice, hard candy or glucose tablets so that you can treat a falling blood sugar level before it dips dangerously low.

For recurring episodes of hypoglycemia, eating frequent small meals throughout the day is a stopgap measure to help prevent blood sugar levels from getting too low. However, this approach isn't advised as a long-term strategy. Work with your health care provider to identify and treat the cause of hypoglycemia.

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This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Hypoglycemia is a condition in which your blood sugar glucose level is lower than the standard range. Request an appointment.

Thank you for subscribing! Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry. Continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump Enlarge image Close. Continuous glucose monitor and insulin pump A continuous glucose monitor, on the left, is a device that measures your blood sugar every few minutes using a sensor inserted under the skin.

By Mayo Clinic Staff. Show references AskMayoExpert. Unexplained hypoglycemia in a nondiabetic patient. Mayo Clinic; American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes — Diabetes Care. Accessed Nov.

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Cancel Continue. Three Ways to Decrease Your Risk for Heart Disease. Know your numbers Keep track of your blood glucose blood sugar and blood pressure levels along with your weight. Live a healthy lifestyle Exercise regularly and make healthy food choices.

Recognize the Symptoms of Heart Disease If you have prediabetes or type 1 or type 2 diabetes, you should be aware of the symptoms of heart disease, including:.

Shortness of breath Fainting or near fainting Fluttering in your chest Chest pain, also known as angina, including feelings of chest tightness or pressure. Slow heartbeat Dizziness or lightheadedness Pain in one or both arms Fast heartbeat, not due to a temporary increase in physical activity.

Numbness or weakness in your legs Neck, jaw, throat, back, or upper abdomen pain Extreme fatigue Nausea and vomiting. Talk With Your Health Care Team Describe all your symptoms as accurately as possible and be honest about your lifestyle.

How does my diabetes increase my risk of heart disease? What should I monitor in addition to my A1C , blood pressure, and cholesterol levels? What tests do you recommend?

How often should my heart health be checked? What lifestyle changes would you advise? Do I need to lose weight? Should I change my eating plan? Testing for Cardiovascular Disease Based on your symptoms, your doctor may request any of these outpatient tests to evaluate your risk of heart disease:.

Electrocardiograms EKG Electrocardiograms EKG monitor your heart's electrical signals to check if your heart rate and rhythms are average. Stress tests Stress tests monitor how your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing respond when you in-crease your activity levels.

Cardiac computerized tomography CT Cardiac computerized tomography CT scans use x-rays to compile a three-dimensional, high-quality picture of your heart and blood vessels. Our mission: To reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.

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Find more tools and resources for managing your diabetes and reducing your risk for cardiovascular disease at KnowDiabetesbyHeart. Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisors.

See our editorial policies and staff. About Diabetes. Diabetes Complications and Risks. Diabetes Risk Factors.

Symptoms, Diagnosis and Monitoring of Diabetes. Preventing and Treating Diabetes. Diabetes Tools and Resources. Get monthly science-based diabetes and heart-healthy tips in your inbox. Know Diabetes by Heart raises awareness that living with Type 2 diabetes increases risk for heart disease and stroke — and that people should talk with their doctor at their next appointment about ways to reduce risk.

Home Health Topics Diabetes Diabetes Complications and Risks Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes. Play without Auto-Play Play Video Text. Why are people with diabetes at increased risk for CVD?

This simple and inexpensive measure could identify patients at high risk of early death, further hospitalisations, or the development of more health problems, such as diabetes.

Researchers from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences ICES , the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre at the University Health Network, and the University of Toronto, Canada, analysed the outcomes for 16, people who arrived at hospital emergency departments in Ontario, Canada, with acute heart failure between and The researchers compared the outcomes of the patients against a reference group of patients whose blood glucose levels ranged between 3.

As their blood glucose levels rose, so did their risk of subsequently developing diabetes; for levels between 6. If their levels exceeded Our results suggest that all such patients should undergo further testing for diabetes before discharge.

If the hospital tests show that their fasting blood glucose is not elevated, then they should be monitored subsequently for the development of diabetes as outpatients. Among all patients, with and without pre-existing diabetes, blood sugar levels above 9.

Our prior work suggests that hospitalisations for heart failure and cardiovascular causes are often increased amongst those with coronary heart disease. Ruling out significant coronary heart disease may also be important in those who also have diabetes and heart failure.

Studies have shown that by achieving good control of these cardiovascular risk factors, people not only significantly improve quality of life, but most importantly prolong their lives by an average of eight years. Fortunately, the recommendations for self-management behaviors generally align for the two conditions.

This can make teaching self-care skills a bit easier for clinicians managing both diseases. However, controlling both conditions requires significant effort by the patient and the health care team.

The recent development of cardiac imaging techniques, such as advanced echocardiography, cardiac CT and cardiac MRI, brings hope that medical professionals will be able to detect diabetic heart disease earlier and prevent its serious consequences.

Thanks to those innovative imaging techniques, it's understood that heart disease in people with diabetes progresses rapidly if not managed with well-established preventive treatments.

Ongoing research is using advanced medical imaging to study why the hearts of people with diabetes suffer more extensive injury after heart attacks and why those with diabetes develop heart failure more often than people with normal glucose control.

As everyone responds to medication differently, work is underway at Mayo Clinic to review large sets of data and artificial intelligence to identify people with diabetes who may respond better to certain treatments.

The goal is to offer people with diabetes personalized therapeutic plans to manage their heart health risk.

Heart disease and diabetes are chronic conditions that in most cases cannot be cured, but thanks to new therapeutic options your risk of developing heart problems may be reduced. With proper guidance and management from your diabetes care team and heart health experts, you can go on to have a productive and more healthy quality of life.

Malgorzata Gosia Wamil , Cardiovascular Disease, Mayo Clinic Healthcare , London. DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I was recently diagnosed with cancer. Are there specific foods I should be eating or avoiding? ANSWER: It's not about any one food, andRead more. DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A co-worker was diagnosed with kidney disease last year.

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