Arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus

Arterial hypertension, or high blood pressure, and diabetes are two closely related diseases. If you have high blood pressure, your risk of developing diabetes increases by as much as 60% [1]. Both diseases reinforce each other's harmful effects on the body. Having hypertension and diabetes increases the risk of stroke and heart attack by about 2-3 times, and heart failure and other heart diseases are also more common.

Recommendations for patients

We have already mentioned that if your blood pressure is constantly elevated, you may develop diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes should be concerned, because as many as 80% of such patients have a second disease - hypertension. Patients who have type 1 diabetes can feel a little calmer, because only about 25% of such people have hypertension.

If you have one of the above diseases, you are in a high-risk group, so you should take care of your health and a healthy lifestyle as early as possible in order to stop or at least delay the development of a comorbid disease.

The biggest risk factor is being overweight[2]. People who are overweight are much more likely to have both diseases. In such people, metabolism deteriorates, insulin sensitivity, blood supply to the body may deteriorate, etc. Other risk factors, such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, weaken the body and worsen immunity, so these habits should be abandoned. Do not forget about a healthy diet, especially pay great attention to reducing salt intake. Excessive salt consumption significantly increases the likelihood of developing hypertension, consume no more than 3 g of it per day. If you want to better control your disease and prevent the development of other diseases, you must be physically active. Regularly walk, swim, ride a bike, etc. Moderate physical exercises improve heart function, lipid and other metabolism, the body's sensitivity to insulin, blood circulation, and reduce the occurrence of serious complications of diabetes or heart disease, and slow down the development of these diseases. Keep in mind that heavy and excessive physical exercise has a negative impact on the human body and can provoke cardiac hypertrophy, hypoglycemia, and other dangerous conditions.

The importance of diagnostics

High blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, arrhythmia, arterial hypertension and other heart diseases often remain unnoticed for a long time. At the time of their diagnosis, patients often already have other diseases, and the damage to the body is irreversible. Diabetes can also develop for a long time without any symptoms, so it is very important to take time for preventive examinations [3]. We recommend visiting your family doctor and having a blood test and an electrocardiogram at least once a year.

Diagnosis and control at home

Glucometers are used to diagnose and control diabetes, which measure blood glucose levels. The normal range for this indicator is 3.33 – 5.55 mmol/l. Keep in mind that glucose levels can be very high after a meal or very low after a long fast. This is normal.

High blood pressure is diagnosed with a blood pressure monitor. We recommend choosing only clinically proven and accurate blood pressure monitors from trusted manufacturers (e.g. Omron, Nissei, Microlife). If you already have both diseases, check whether the device has been tested for measuring blood pressure in people with diabetes. There are very few such monitors on the Lithuanian market. One of them is Microlife BP B3 AFIB.

If you suffer from palpitations or an irregular pulse, make sure your blood pressure monitor detects arrhythmia. Practically all mid-level (Microlife BP A2, Omron M3 comfort, Nissei DS-10) blood pressure monitors detect pulse arrhythmia.

Sources:

[1]https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/blood-pressure

[2] https://www.diabetes.co.uk/lifestyle-changes-for-type2-diabetes.html

[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20371451