Does diabetes increase my risk of heart disease?
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes increase your risk for heart disease. Women with diabetes are 2 to 5 times more likely to die of heart disease than women without diabetes. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes – 3 out of 4 people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke.7 People with diabetes have the same risk of dying from heart disease as people without diabetes who have already had a heart attack. Women who have heart disease and have had diabetes for over 15 years are 30 times more likely to die early than women with neither condition.8-10 After a heart attack, people with diabetes are more likely to die than heart attack patients who don't have diabetes.
Women with diabetes have 3- to 7-fold increased risk of developing heart disease than women without diabetes. In men diabetes increases the risk of heart disease 2- to 3-fold.5 The reason for this gender difference is not fully understood, but diabetes may have a greater effect on risk factors for heart disease in women than in men
How does diabetes affect the heart?
Diabetes increases your risk for heart disease because the excess sugar in your blood causes blood vessel problems, making you more likely to have high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). In addition, diabetes can increase the risk of blood clots, which can cause heart attack or stroke.
