Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics have high blood glucose levels, but diabetes is also a risk factor for atherosclerosis, a condition where the accumulation of plaques causes the arteries to become hard and narrow. High-fat diets can also lead to arterial plaques, so diabetics who consume this type of diet face an even greater risk of atherosclerosis. Furthermore, many diabetics also have high blood pressure, yet another risk factor for the development of arterial plaques.
Diabetes Mellitus
The immune system is intended to attack foreign substances in the body. When it erroneously attacks the body's own tissues, the disorder is called an autoimmune disease. Diabetes mellitus Type 1 is an example of an autoimmune disease. The immune system in diabetics with Type 1 mistakenly destroys the beta cells in the pancreas. The beta cells are supposed to release insulin to prevent high blood glucose levels, but with these cells destroyed, diabetics with Type 1 have high blood glucose.
Diabetics with Type 2 also have high blood glucose, but unlike those with Type 1 diabetes, their condition occurs because of a resistance to insulin.
Artery Plaques
Atherosclerosis is the medical term for the condition of hardened, narrowed arteries. It occurs when cholesterol and fat collect on the walls of the artery, causing inflammation. As a result, white blood cells and platelets go to the area. All of these substances accumulate, forming a structure called plaque. Plaques cause the arteries to harden and their passageways to constrict, making it difficult for blood to flow through them. In addition, pieces can break off from the plaque and block blood flow in the area.
High-Fat Diet and Atherosclerosis
Diabetes and a high-fat diet are two of the risk factors for the development of plaques in the arteries and atherosclerosis. A diabetic who eats a high-fat diet increases the risk. Due to atherosclerosis, diabetics have more strokes, heart attacks and gangrene in their feet and legs, according to "Pathophysiology of Disease" by Dr. Janet Funk. While atherosclerosis is a concern for both types of diabetics, it is especially true for Type 2 diabetics. Atherosclerosis causes an estimated 75 percent of deaths in Type 2 diabetics. And unlike the general population, diabetic women are as much at risk from atherosclerosis as diabetic men.
Hypertensive Disease and Plaques
Hypertension is another risk factor for the development of arterial plaques, and hypertension is associated with both types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetics usually develop this disease after their kidneys become damaged. Type 2 diabetics usually have hypertension from being obese or overweight. Scientists hypothesize that the resistance to insulin, found in Type 2 diabetes, may somehow cause the cells to hold onto sodium and lead to the development of high blood pressure in these diabetics, regardless of body size or weight. Thus, not only does a high-fat diet and the disease of atherosclerosis cause plaques in diabetics, hypertension does as well.
References
- "Handbook of Pathophysiology"; Elizabeth Corwin, MSN, Ph.D., FNP; 2000
- "Pathophysiology of Disease: An Introduction to Clinical Medicine"; Stephen McPhee, M.D., and Gary Hammer, M.D., Ph.D.; 2010
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Diabetes Mellitus (DM)
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Essential Hypertension
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