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June 2006
Women, Diabetes and Heart Disease
All women should be concerned about heart disease; it’s the leading cause of death in the United States, for women and men.
But if you’re a woman with diabetes (or at risk for developing it), you should be especially concerned. You’re three to four times more likely to develop heart disease than a non-diabetic woman, says Linda Loffredo, M.D., a family practitioner with Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. You an even run a higher risk than a diabetic man. What can you do to protect yourself?
Know your risk
- You’re at higher risk for diabetes if you have a parent or sibling with the disease, have had gestational (pregnancy) diabetes, have a triglyceride level of 250 or higher, or are of African, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Island or Hispanic heritage.
- You're at higher risk for heart disease if you have diabetes, smoke, or have LDL (“bad”) cholesterol of 130 or higher.
- You’re at higher risk for both diabetes and heart disease if you are obese, inactive, or have blood pressure of 140/90 or higher or HDL (“good”) cholesterol of 35 or lower.
Prevent diabetes
The number of Americans with diabetes has tripled in the last 30 years, mostly because people have been getting heavier and less active. Exercising and maintaining a healthy weight will reduce your risk for developing diabetes.
Prevent heart disease
A healthy diet, regular exercise and weight management are doubly important if you already have diabetes. It’s also critical to keep your diabetes under careful control. “Your sensitivity to the other risk factors for heart disease is much higher if you have diabetes,” says cardiologist Jamie Paranicas, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network.
Get tested
“Our goal with type 2 (adult onset) diabetes is early diagnosis,” says Larry Merkle, M.D., an endocrinologist with Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. He
recommends annual diabetes screenings beginning in
childhood for people at high risk and by age 40 for everyone else.
Don’t smoke
“Smoking is such a powerful factor in type 2 diabetes and heart disease that it almost negates all the other good you can do by lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol and losing weight,” Merkle says. In addition, smoking even a couple of cigarettes a day cancels the heart disease protection estrogen seems to offer premenopausal women.
A Red Flag to Watch for
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is an often-overlooked metabolic disorder that affects 5 to 10 percent of women in the United States. It can cause infertility, diabetes and heart disease. While polycystic ovarian syndrome can’t be cured, it can be managed, so prompt diagnosis is important.
Symptoms vary widely, but often include sporadic or absent menstrual periods, excess facial hair and/or body hair, thinning scalp hair, acne and weight gain, especially in the upper body.
“Most women tend to gain weight in the hips and lower body. If you are gaining in the upper body, developing facial hair and missing periods, you need to be screened for diabetes,” says endocrinologist Larry Merkle, M.D.
Want to Know More about coping with diabetes? Call 610-402-CARE for a brochure on the programs of the Helwig Health and Diabetes Center.
This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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