High Blood Pressure and Diabetes Research Note
By Reader's Digest Editors
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Two out of three people with diabetes have high blood pressure, too. It’s a dangerous duo for many reasons. High blood sugar harms your arteries, leading to atherosclerosis—hardening of the arteries. If you also have hypertension, your risk for heart disease is four times higher than it is for someone without either condition. High blood sugar can also damage blood vessels in your eyes, leading to microscopic ruptures that cause vision loss and blindness. If your blood pressure is high, your odds for vision problems increase. Diabetes also makes your kidneys work overtime filtering wastes from your bloodstream, which can lead to kidney failure. Hypertension increases your risk there, too.
Fast Facts:- People with diabetes should keep their blood pressure below 130/80—and ideally, below 120/80-- to help prevent complications.
- Have your doctor check your blood pressure at every visit, so that problems can be caught early.
- Even slightly elevated high blood pressure—between 130/80 and 130/89—doubles or even triples your risk for heart disease.
- Anti-hypertension drugs called ACE inhibitors reduce stroke and heart attack risk 20 to 30%, research shows. They also cut risk for kidney disease.
- Many people with diabetes and hypertension take more than one blood pressure drug to keep their numbers within a healthy range.
Diabetes: High Blood Pressure
webmd.com — “WebMD discusses the link between diabetes and high blood pressure.” View full resource at webmd.com
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