Urgent warning to millions at risk of silent killer due to common symptoms | The Sun
PEOPLE living with diabetes have been warned that uncontrolled symptoms could lead to a deadly killer.
Millions of people across the UK live with the condition – with many using insulin to control the illness.
Now experts have found that uncontrolled diabetes could accelerate heart failure by up to three years.
Uncontrolled diabetes means your blood sugar levels are too high.
They could be high even if you're treating the condition and you might experience symptoms such as peeing a lot and being thirsty.
When you're diabetic your body can struggle to produce enough insulin (type 1) or the insulin isn't effective (type 2).
Read more on diabetes
The 5 health tests that can predict your risk of silent killer diseases
The full body scan you can do NOW to check if you have diabetes
In the UK, around 90 per cent of of adults with diabetes have type 2.
Diabetics needs treatment in order to prevent blood sugar levels being dangerously high.
But some people can go years before they are even diagnosed.
Heart failure affects around 900,000 people in the UK, with 60,000 new cases each year.
Most read in Health
RISK FACTOR
Urgent warning as 1million at risk of deadly condition due to wrong medication
My girl told pal's mum to not bring booze to playdates says Michelle Heaton
Covid restrictions could RETURN with face masks brought back, minister warns
Urgent warning to parents cooling their kids off in the garden in the heatwave
It's an illness that is most commonly seen in older people who have underlying health conditions.
Medics at John Hopkins University said the risk depended on the stage of heart failure the patients were at.
Stage A was defined as the presence of at least one risk factor, which includes obesity or hypertension.
Stage B is defined as someone with heart disease or increased risk of cardiac issues – but no signs of heart failure, including a persistent cough, a fast heart rate or wheezing.
The experts said that people with uncontrolled diabetes with stage A heart failure were 1.5 times more likely to progress to overt heart failure.
The 8 signs of uncontrolled diabetes you need to know
Uncontrolled diabetes is when you have high blood sugar levels all the time.
This can lead to complications with the condition, so it's important you know what to look out for.
The main signs are:
- Extreme fatigue
- Frequent urination
- Weight loss that cannot be explained
- Skin changes
- Blurred vision
- Excessive thirst or hunger
- Slow healing infections or wounds
- Hearing issues
Those with stage B were 1.8 times more likely to progress.
Patients in stage B also experienced overt heart failure at a younger age compared to those in stage A, or those with no diabetes.
Writing in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology the medics said diabetes and heart failure are highly prevalent and strongly interrelated.
The study’s first author Justin Echouffo Tcheugui added: "Our results demonstrate the vulnerability of older adults with co-occurring diabetes and stage A or B heart failure.
Read More on The Sun
Covid restrictions could RETURN with face masks brought back, minister warns
I’m midsize and I’ve found the perfect summer jeans in Primark – they’re £15
"We believe that such people may greatly benefit from preventive therapies including lifestyle modification and medication.
"There are three to four times more individuals with preclinical heart failure than with overt heart failure; many lives can be prolonged by addressing diabetes in those early stages.”
Source: Read Full Article