Diabetes and Heart Disease Symptoms
Diabetes and Heart Disease Symptoms
Jennifer Hicks
About.com
Symptoms of Heart Disease
Chest pain is a common heart attack symptom. Since diabetes can impact the nerves, some people with diabetes have heart attacks without experiencing any pain whatsoever. These so-called silent heart attacks are not usually diagnosed until a routine medical exam.
Anyone who has experienced a silent heart attack is at greater risk for another, more serious heart attack and should be closely monitored by a cardiologist.
In addition to chest pain, heart attack symptoms can include:
* Discomfort or pain in the back, arms, neck or stomach
* Shortness of breath
* Sweating or lightheadedness
* Nausea or indigestion
* Extreme weakness or anxiety
If any of these symptoms lasts for more than five minutes, the Cleveland Clinic suggests getting emergency treatment immediately.
Peripheral arterial disease may also reveal no symptoms, particularly in someone who has diabetic neuropathy, a condition that affects the nerves, making it difficult to feel sensation. A doctor may order an ankle-brachial index to diagnose PAD, or check the pulses in the feet and legs to see if circulation is impaired.
Some symptoms of PAD include:
Painful cramps in the thigh, calves or hips during such exercise as walking or stair climbing
Persistent leg pain that continues even after exercise is stopped
Wounds on feet that are slow to heal or don’t heal
Gangrene
A much lower temperature in the affected foot or leg compared to rest of body
Because heart disease can be without symptoms until something major occurs, it’s essential to minimize the risk factors.
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