Hypertension or High Blood Pressure can trigger as well as worsen complications related to diabetes. Most people suffering from diabetes tend to develop hypertension later in their lives. Diabetes tends to increase one s blood pressure, making him/her even more vulnerable to other heart diseases and cardio-vascular disorders. Diabetes often leads to a condition known as atherosclerosis, which is the hardening of the arteries. A combination of diabetes and hypertension drastically increases the risk of suffering from a heart disease. The risks of kidney diseases and retinopathy (damage to the tiny blood vessels present in the retina) also go up, resulting in blindness. With age, chronic hypertension can also result in numerous cognitive disorders such as dementia or Alzheimer s disease (degenerative mental disorder).

How to prevent Diabetes and Hypertension?
1. Walking for about 40 minutes each day or engaging in any type of aerobic exercise can better one s heart health. Chalk out an exercise plan upon consulting the doctor
2. Limit drinking and abstain from smoking
3. Go for regular kidney check-ups
4. Eat food rich in fiber such as vegetables, fruits, breads or whole grain cereals
5. Examine blood pressure as well as blood sugar levels regularly at home
6. Practice relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga to cut down on stress level; as stress is one of the major contributors to diabetes and the subsequent hypertension
7. Shed off your extra pounds as blood pressure escalates with weight

Hypertension and Diabetes - How They are Related?

Vascular disorders are disorders of the vessels in your body that carry either blood or waste products. The vascular system consists of the arteries (that carry blood away from the heart), veins (that carry blood to the heart) and lymph vessels (that carry waste products to be excreted from the body). The various diseases of the vascular or circulatory system are:

Peripheral Artery Disease: Peripheral arteries carry blood to the various organs and tissues in the body. Accumulation of cholesterol and fat in the vessels narrow the pathway for the blood to flow. This can impair blood flow to the tissues in the body and cause complications. Various medications used to lower cholesterol and blood pressure can also be used for peripheral artery disease.
Buerger's Disease: This disease causes obstructions in the veins and arteries in the legs. This can hamper blood supply in the toes and the feet. It causes pain and may require amputation in severe cases. Treatments for this disease include smoking cessation and medications to dilute blood vessels.
Aneurysm: An aneurysm is swelling in the blood vessel walls; it usually occurs in the aorta. The artery walls become fragile and are placed under a lot of stress; this may lead to a sudden rupture of the aortic vessels. This disorder is usually treated by surgical procedures.
Peripheral Venous Disease: Peripheral venous disease is characterized by damage to the valves that allows blood to flow in a single direction. Damaged valves can cause blood to flow backwards and therefore, accumulate. Treatments for this disorder are incorporating certain lifestyle habits such as quitting smoking and alcohol.
Blood clots in the veins: Blood clots may occur in the veins present inside the muscles of the thighs and lower legs which lead to deep vein thrombosis. You may be prescribed anti-coagulants, also known as blood thinners, to treat this disorder.
Causes
People with diseases such diabetes, high blood pressure, or kidney failure can be more likely to have vessel problems. Working with vibrating tools, being in cold temperatures, and smoking can worsen vascular problems. Causes of vascular disorders usually fit into one of 5 groups:

Traumatic, which occur after injury
Compressive, which occur when the pipes flatten
Occlusive, which occur when pipes are blocked
Tumors (growths) or malformations (deformed, tangled pipes), which may or may not be present at birth
Vessel spasms, which occur when abnormal control of vessels causes them to narrow
Symptoms
Symptoms of vascular disorders can include:

Pain
Abnormal color changes in the fingertips
Ulcers or wounds that do not heal
Hand problems when in cold temperatures or locations
Numbness or tingling of the fingertips
Swelling
Cool or cold fingers and/or hands

5 Common Vascular Disorders

The  Roux en Y Gastric Bypass  surgery was first performed by Professor Mason in 1966. Being done in the conventional way (i.e by open surgery) earlier and later laparoscopically, the Gastric Bypass has stood the test of time over the last 52 years.

Over 50 years the Gastric bypass surgery is being performed across the globe. It has given excellent results in terms of significant and long-standing weight loss in the morbidly obese, as well as remission of Type 2 diabetes in properly selected patients. Selection of the patient to undergo this procedure is paramount. 50 years of successful results are enough to term this procedure as the GOLD Standard.

Obesity and Diabetes have been a menace over the last 2 decades world over. In India obesity is growing in such a rampant way that we can equate it to an epidemic.

As we all know, India is considered to be the Diabetic Capital of the world. Type 2 diabetes contributes to the major chunk of diabetes affected population. We Indians get affected by diabetes at very early ages and hence complications are seen at very early ages among us. Strikingly important to notice is that Diabetes is seen not only in the obese category of people but also in the normal weight people.

Diabetes is feared of only because of the complications it is capable of causing affecting the vital organs like the brain, heart, eyes, kidneys.

Intermittent or elevated surges in the blood sugars levels during the course of the day are responsible for causing microangiopathies ( damage to the small vessels supplying blood to the vital organs).

We have seen that diabetes is accompanied by high blood pressure and dyslipidemia in most of the cases. So, when a person has diabetes, high blood pressure and dyslipidemia, we label them as having the metabolic syndrome.

Oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA) and insulin form the mainstay of treatment in getting sugars under control. But these are not able to avoid these surges in high sugar levels. This does not mean that OHA s and Insulin are not the right way to treat diabetes- they indeed are.

We are going a step higher, in an attempt to get control of diabetes without OHA and insulin. Not only this, we are trying to tackle not just diabetes, but the metabolic syndrome on the whole i.e one procedure that will take care of diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension. This procedure is popularly known and referred to as the  Gastric Bypass  or the  Roux en Y Gastric Bypass . Thus, In short, the gastric bypass surgery offers ICE BURG treatment.

Now, the first question is that  Is this possible . The answer is YES. The second question is that is this procedure applicable for all diabetics. The answer is NO. Only Type 2 diabetics are the beneficiaries of this procedure where insulin resistance has a major role to play. (This procedure does not benefit Type 1 diabetics) Reasons for this will be explained later. The third and important question is that,  Is the Gastric bypass going to give remission of diabetes in all type 2 diabetics?  The answer is NO.

There is strict selection criterion or eligibility criteria to select a patient for The Roux en Y Gastric Bypass surgery. Best results of the Gastric Bypass surgery are seen when it is confirmed that the person is suffering from Type 2 diabetes, duration of diabetes is less than 5 years, the pancreatic reserve is good and showing good levels of C -peptide in the blood, the person has a family history of diabetes, Insulin was not required to control sugar levels within the first 5 years of onset of diabetes and person should not be underweight( BMI > 27.5 preferred).

Losing weight is not easy and even if we lose weight, weight regain is very common. Most of us would have already experienced it. When we are tackling just the weight issue, we are talking into consideration only the morbidly obese people who have a BMI > 37.5. In the morbidly obese, at first, it is very difficult to lose significant weight by the normal method of diet and exercise. Even if weight loss does occur, weight regains or bouncing back is sure.

Here we bring in the trump card   The  Roux en Y Gastric Bypass  that helps the :

 Morbidly Obese  (BMI >37.5) to lose significant weight and reach their ideal weight.
 Obese  (BMI >32.5) who also have comorbidities (like diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, sleep apnea, obesity-induced infertility) not only to lose significant weight and reach their ideal weight but also to get control of the associated comorbidities.
 Type 2 Diabetics  (BMI > 27.5) to get Remission from type 2 Diabetes.
 Metabolic Syndrome  (BMI > 27.5) to get remission from type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and Most cases hypertension.
Type 2 diabetics can be offered this procedure even if they are not morbidly obese, is what I would like to bring it to notice.

Exposure to Type 2 diabetes for long years can lead to potential complications like coronary heart disease, chronic kidney failure, brain stroke, gangrene of the lower limbs.

In some, in spite of talking OHA s, Insulin, sugars are not under control. In these cases, the gastric bypass can be offered to those who fulfil the eligibility criteria.

Remission of diabetes after the gastric bypass procedure is very quick, ranging from a week to a month in most of the cases. However, in some, The sugar levels come to normal the very next day after the surgery in some without the OHA and /or insulin.

Gastric bypass is done through laparoscopy i.e through tiny holes over the tummy, requiring 3 days hospital stay. Supplements need to be taken following the procedure on a daily basis. Following the procedure, intake is reduced to a great extent which increases over few months as the gastric pouch stretches.

Gastric Bypass - Be It Bariatric Or Metabolic Surgery, Get Amazing Results!

What Happens When the Electrical Activity of Your Heart Changes?

The heart's electrical conduction system plays a very important role in cardiovascular functioning. Also known as the atrioventricular (AV) conduction system, it regulates and controls the timing of the heartbeat.

How does the heart's electrical conduction system work?

There is a collection of electrical cells in the upper right atrium of the heart known as the sinoatrial (SA) node which acts as a natural pacemaker and generates electrical signals. These signals travel through specialized electrical pathways and stimulate the muscular walls of the heart to contract in a rhythmic manner. This gives rise to the heartbeat that pulses at a specific frequency every minute.

What is the effect of fluctuations in electrical activity on the heart?

The standard heart rate in human being ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. It slows down when a person sleeps and speeds up when one experiences physical or emotional heightening. These fluctuations are triggered by the brain or other systems of the body and signal the SA node to generate charges more rapidly or slowly. This leads to spikes and drops in the heart rate, depending on the nature of the situation.

What happens when there is dysfunction in the heart's electrical activity?

When the heart's electrical conduction system does not function properly, it leads to the occurrence of a condition known as arrhythmia or abnormal heart rhythm. This happens when electrical impulses are generated in an irregular manner and causes tachycardia (rapid heartbeats) or bradycardia (slow heartbeats) which takes place in jarring infrequent tempos.

What causes fluctuations in the heart's electrical activity?

There are various kinds of triggers that cause the heart rate to fluctuate. The exact nature of fluctuation also depends on the type of trigger. A few everyday examples of these causes are as follows:
- Exercise and strenuous physical activity increases electrical activity as the heart is required to beat faster so as to increase the supply of blood and oxygen to the muscles.
- Sleep and rest reduce heart rate as the body is not needed to exert itself.
- Release of adrenaline into the bloodstream causes the heart rate to spike up.



What Happens When the Electrical Activity of Your Heart Changes?

Are your regular exercises and the strict diet proving futile on your quest for a tighter and a flatter tummy? You can consider getting an 'abdominoplasty' or 'tummy tuck' done. This cosmetic surgery helps in flattening your abdomen by taking off the extra skin and fat and tightening up the muscles in the walls of your abdomen.

The procedure
1. The first step involves choosing a surgeon for consultation.
2. There are two types of  tummy tuck  surgery, both carried out under general anesthesia.  Complete abdominoplasty  whereby, your surgeon would dissect your abdomen from one hipbone to the other and then give an outline to your muscle, tissue and skin.  Mini or partial abdominoplasty  are recommended for people whose fat deposits are underneath their naval region.

Complete Abdominoplasty
 Complete Abdominoplasty  involves making a big incision around the lower part of the tummy from one hip to another, making a second cut in order to free the belly of the tissue that surrounds that region, separating the skin from the walls around the abdomen, re-aligning the muscles in the abdomen, removing the supplementary skin and fat and then pulling forth the skin remains and stitching them too.

Partial Abdominoplasty
Partial Abdominoplasty requires making a large cut on the lower belly, separating the skin from your abdominal wall, cutting out the excess fat, removing the additional skin and holding the remaining part of the skin together and finally stitching it in place.

Time taken for the surgery
The surgery may stretch from one to about five hours.

Pre-requisites

You will have to cut down on the consumption of alcohol and especially smoking; smoking leads to more complication and slows down the healing process.
It is recommended to have a well-balanced meal before the surgery.
After-care

You may suffer from swelling and pain in the days after the surgery, for which your doctor would prescribe pain-killers.
Regardless of the type of surgery conducted, the portion that was operated on would be stitched and bandaged. Therefore, it is very important to abide by the surgeon s instructions about how you should take care of the dressing in the days to follow.

Tummy Fat - Can Surgery Be Considered to Reduce it?

Our heart is one of the most important organs that must be kept healthy and fit so that we can lead a good lifestyle, however, unfortunately many people still suffer from heart problems. And, one such heart problem is Cardiomyopathy.

What is Cardiomyopathy?

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscles that makes it very difficult for the heart muscles to pump blood to the rest of the body. Since the muscles are unable to pump blood effectively, it can lead to heart failure. It is a very serious condition and may require extensive treatment to fully recover from the disorder. 

Different types of Cardiomyopathy

Now we will be discussing about the different types of Cardiomyopathy that can affect an individual.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy - In this case, the heart muscles becomes abnormally thickened, particularly affecting the muscle of your heart's main pumping chamber (left ventricle). The thickened heart muscle can make it harder for the heart to work properly. Most affected people have a family history of the disease.
Dilated Cardiomyopathy - In this case, the muscles enlarge and become weak, therefore they cannot pump the blood. These weak muscles over a period of time become absolutely ineffective and can cause heart failure.
Restrictive Cardiomyopathy - In this type, the heart muscle becomes rigid and less elastic, so it is unable to relax and can't expand and fill with blood between heartbeats.Which eventually does not allow the blood to flow properly.
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia - In this rare type of cardiomyopathy, the muscle in the lower right heart chamber (right ventricle) is replaced by scar tissue, which can lead to heart rhythm problems. It's often caused by genetic mutations. This condition can cause a sudden cardiac arrest or heart failure as well.
Symptoms 

Patient may be asymptomatic in the early stages of cardiomyopathy. But as the condition advances, signs and symptoms usually appear, including:

Breathlessness with exertion or even at rest
Swelling of the legs, ankles and feet
Bloating of the abdomen due to fluid buildup
Cough while lying down
Fatigue
Heartbeats that feel rapid, pounding or fluttering
Chest discomfort or pressuretreated
Dizziness, lightheadedness and fainting
Signs and symptoms tend to get worse unless treated.

Complications 

Cardiomyopathy can lead to other heart conditions, including:

Heart failure. Untreated, heart failure can be life-threatening.
Blood clots. Blood clots might form in your heart and may enter your bloodstream, then they can block the blood flow to other organs, including your heart and brain.
Valve problems. The heart valves might not close properly. This can lead to a backward flow of blood.
Cardiac arrest and sudden death.Cardiomyopathy can lead to abnormal heart rhythms which can result in fainting or, in some cases, sudden death.
Treatment 

It can include medications, surgically implanted devices or, in severe cases, a heart transplant, depends on which type of cardiomyopathy you have and how serious it is.

Prevention

You can help reduce your chance of cardiomyopathy and other types of heart disease by living a heart-healthy lifestyle and making lifestyle choices such as:

Avoiding the use of alcohol or cocaine
Controlling high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes
Eating a healthy diet
Getting regular exercise
Getting enough sleep
Reducing your stress
So here are some of the most common types of Cardiomyopathy. These types can affect people of any age group if they lead an unhealthy lifestyle. Cardiomyopathy is a very serious condition and any person  suffering from it should be diagnosed early and given medical treatment as soon as possible.

Patient With Shortness Of Breath - Types Of Cardiomyopathy And Management!

Don't wait any longer, manage your Heart Transplant online with a Lybrate doctor today

Consult for Heart Transplant - Online and Easy!

FilterClear All

COMMON SPECIALITIES

COMMON ISSUES