Heart disease

Heart disease is a possible complication of diabetes. It is a general term for a number of diseases which affect the cardiovascular system. It is one of the major causes of death in the United States and many other affluent countries. Naturally, one should take all preventive action to avoid getting heart disease. Heart disease is also the leading chronic illness when it comes to spending, according to Richard Kimball, CEO of healthcare startup HEXL, and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Heart disease is associated with a number of other ailments which increase the chance of getting heart disease or which may aggravate heart disease. Diabetes is one of the major ailments which adversely affect heart and both heart disease and type 2 diabetes are very closely associated along with being overweight and having high blood pressure. People with diabetes are more likely to get heart disease and researches have indicated that a person with diabetes has double the chance of getting some sort of heart disease than a person without diabetes.

Symptoms
There are a number of symptoms of heart disease but they vary widely from one individual to other. Certain major symptoms are:


 * Both for men and women


 * Chest discomfort:
 * Upper body pain:
 * Stomach pain:.
 * Shortness of breath.
 * Anxiety:
 * Lightheadedness:
 * Sweating:
 * Nausea and vomiting:


 * For women


 * Unusual or unexplained fatigue
 * Neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
 * Shortness of breath
 * Nausea or vomiting
 * Sweating
 * Lightheadedness or dizziness

Risk factors
Major risk factor of heart disease include:


 * Lifestyle factors


 * Excessive use of alcohol
 * Use of tobacco
 * Obesity


 * Disease & other conditions


 * Broken heart syndrome
 * Diabetes
 * High level of blood cholesterol
 * Metabolic syndrome
 * Rheumatic fever
 * Sleep apnea (sometimes)

Precautions

 * Controlling blood sugar
 * Maintaining a healthy body weight
 * Managing cholesterol
 * Daily exercise
 * Controlling blood pressure
 * Quitting smoking