If you live with, or know someone who lives with diabetes, you may have heard about comorbidities in diabetes. Comorbidities are medical conditions that occur simultaneously alongside other conditions or diseases. Comorbidities have to be managed alongside diabetes because they also increase the risks of fatality as well as the likelihood to get diabetic complications.
Needless to say, there is a need to be aware of comorbidities occurring with diabetes, but why do they happen and how can you best manage them?
Causes of Diabetes Comorbidities
High sugar levels in your blood over a long period of time can seriously damage blood vessels, restricting blood flow to the parts of your body that need it. Once blood vessels and nerves in one part of your body are damaged, you’re more likely to develop similar problems in other body parts; so if your feet are damaged, serious problems can follow.
And it is not just about blood sugars. High blood pressure, smoking, and a high fat diet put you even more at risk for developing other comorbidities alongside diabetes.
3 Diabetes Comorbidities to look out for
Some complications that arise due to diabetes might progress to other chronic diseases that make the management of diabetes more difficult and increase the burden of the disease. Here are three comorbidities you should look out for in diabetes, and how to manage them.
Hypertension
Hypertension is the most common comorbidity occurring as a result of diabetes. Over 65% of patients diagnosed with diabetes have hypertension. Diabetes increases the risk of hypertension, and hypertension increases the risk of diabetes.
Constantly elevated blood glucose levels damage the arteries and affect their function leading to high blood pressure. Improper management of these two conditions (diabetes and hypertension) can increase the risk for more comorbidities and complications, especially heart diseases and stroke.
Management
Controlling your blood glucose levels and blood pressure is the best way to manage hypertension in diabetes. Lifestyle modifications such as; maintaining a healthy diet, reducing salt intake, exercising regularly, avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol intake are also important in the management of hypertension with diabetes. A lot of emphasis however should also be placed on adhering to the medications prescribed by your doctor, and reporting any unusual symptoms such as headaches, blurred vision, nausea and chest pain.
Hypercholesterolemia
Hypercholesterolemia (high amounts of cholesterol in the blood) is tightly linked to type 2 diabetes because impaired usage of glucose increases the risk of high cholesterol levels in the blood. When your body doesn’t use glucose normally, it then resorts to other nutrients in the body such as lipids (fat) as a source of energy. High amounts of lipids are mobilized into the blood to be sent out to tissues, leading to the rise in cholesterol, a type of lipid in the blood.
This is dangerous because bad cholesterol tends to abound with the tendency of lodging in the arteries causing them to narrow. When the arteries in the heart are blocked, heart problems may occur.
Management
A good diet modification is the first approach to managing or preventing hypercholesterolemia. Working with your doctor and dietitian to modify your diet towards low-cholesterol and create weight loss goals is also important. If you are at high risk of developing hypercholesterolemia, your doctor might prescribe some medications called “statins”.
Cardiovascular or Heart Disease
Studies have shown that deaths among adults living with diabetes are mostly due to heart problems. Constantly elevated blood sugar levels can damage the blood vessels and nerves of the heart affecting its function. Having diabetes means you are 2 to 4 times as likely to have heart problems than those who do not have diabetes.
Management
The symptoms of heart or cardiovascular problems may be missed if you don’t pay attention to them. Unusual fatigue, hearing your heartbeat (palpitations), fainting or nearly fainting, and experiencing shortness of breath are all signs of possible cardiovascular problems you should speak to your doctor about.
To manage this, follow all your doctor’s recommendations, and make appropriate lifestyle modifications especially: avoiding alcohol, smoking and maintaining a healthy diet. It is also important to adopt proper stress management techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, and rest to reduce anxiety and workload on the heart.
Conclusion
Diabetes-related comorbidities do not have to be inevitable – but you absolutely need to take action. Keeping blood sugar under control will greatly reduce your risk of developing other comorbidities. Going to your doctor’s appointments and getting direction on how to look after yourself goes a long way. Maintaining healthy lifestyle habits such as eating healthy, taking your medication, staying active, and avoiding smoking or alcohol can make a huge difference, too.
This is why the management of diabetes is holistic with a multidisciplinary approach including; various specialist doctors, nurses, dietitians, occupational therapists, and pharmacists etc.
Joining a diabetes community or support group is also very beneficial to educate, guide and support you in your diabetes journey, on how to best manage the condition so as to prevent, delay and manage any comorbidities.
Dr Oluwaseun Sodipo is a member of LiveWell Club and can be reached on 09050149820
LiveWell Club, is a wellness community where Nigerians living with Diabetes can gain practical knowledge and share experiences that support their treatment, diet and lifestyle changes.
