BEWARE the DIABETES silent heart attack
Often people with diabetes don’t know they have heart disease until they
experience a heart attack.
Typical symptoms of heart attack include:
* squeezing or crushing chest pain going down the arms
* arm or jaw discomfort
* feeling anxious, sweaty, breathless or weak
People with diabetes may have different symptoms when experiencing
a heart attack, such as:
* no signs at all, leading to a ’silent’ heart attack.
* indigestion, bloating and nausea
(Note: Women in general, and particularly those with diabetes, are more likely
to have these and/or other symptoms.)
If you have diabetes, the following can help reduce your risk of developing
heart disease:
* Be physically active.
* Try to lose weight - being overweight, especially around the middle, at the waist,
is a major risk factor for heart disease and is strongly linked to type 2 diabetes. Even
a 5% weight loss reduces the risk of heart disease.
* Don’t smoke.
* Manage cholesterol and high blood pressure - with lifestyle measures such as an
eating a healthy diet and exercise and/or medications.
