Diabetes complications occur primarily due to deleterious changes in the blood vessels caused by long-standing hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). Complications due to abnormalities in the smallest blood vessels--the capillaries--are microvascular...
The microvascular complications of diabetes are caused by a reduction in blood supply to organs. As diabetes progresses, the blood vessels in the body are weakened by the persistent elevation of blood glucose. The weakened vessels accumulate small...
The definition of angina is pain, so the term "microvascular angina" refers to a symptom, more than a disease. When you have angina pectoris, it means that you have a pain in your chest; however, for most people, it refers to heart pain, or pain...
Angina, or angina pectoris, is the term used to describe symptoms of coronary heart disease (CHD), which include pressure, squeezing, tightness, or pain in the chest, and pain in the arms, neck and jaw. According to the National Heart Lung and...
Type II diabetes is a metabolic disease in which cells of the body no longer respond well to the hormone insulin, and insulin is not secreted in sufficient amounts by cells in the pancreas. The American Diabetes Association and the European...
Angina refers to a type of chest pain or discomfort associated with various heart conditions. It is a symptom rather than a disease. According to the MayoClinic.com, angina may present as a result of decreased flow of oxygen-rich blood to the...
High cholesterol has various effects on your body, one of which is fatigue. When plaque builds in the walls of your arteries, it leads to conditions such as coronary heart disease, CHD, and coronary microvascular disease, CMD. Although high...
Merck Manuals, an online medical library, reports that angina occurs when the heart's workload and oxygen needs are not being met. The Mayo Clinic reports that angina causes chest pain, and pressure, squeezing, or heaviness in the chest. Angina is...
A brain aneurysm, also called a cerebral aneurysm, can occur anywhere on a blood vessel or artery in the brain. According to the National Institutes of Health, a brain aneurysm is "a weak or thin spot on a blood vessel in the brain that balloons...
As many as 25.8 million Americans have diabetes, according to 2011 information from the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Most have type 2 diabetes, which usually starts in adulthood and is related to obesity and other lifestyle factors....
Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. However, this number is based on the cause of death report on death certificates and is therefore mostly likely a low estimate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates...
With neuralgia, patients have sharp pain that occurs on the affected nerve. Occipital neuralgia involves the occipital nerves, which are located by the neck's second and third vertebrae. Patients with occipital neuralgia can have problems...
Blueberries, a staple of summer since they are in peak form from May through October, have the two-fold benefit of being nutritious and relatively low calorie. One cup has about 80 calories. As the many health benefits of blueberries become...
An accurate assessment of long term blood glucose control in diabetes is determined by the measurement of A1C, previously known as hemoglobin A1C or HbA1c, and is now recognized by the American Diabetes Association as a reliable tool for the...
Through metabolism, the body changes much of the food eaten into glucose, a form of sugar. The body then releases insulin from the pancreas to help the glucose enter the cells in the body and be used as energy. When an individual suffers from...
Diabetic peripheral neuropathy occurs in 16 percent of people with diabetes mellitus. This condition in diabetics causes a significant impact on the quality of life and work productivity due to the pain of the peripheral neuropathy. Cymbalta, a...
At first glance, neuropathy and gout would seem to have little in common. Neuropathy involves a malfunctioning of the nervous system’s communications network, while gout is a painful form of arthritis. However, both of these disorders...
Platelets, or thrombocytes, are tiny blood cell fragments derived from large bone marrow cells called megakaryocytes. When circulating platelets encounter a damaged blood vessel, they clump together and form a platelet plug at the injury site. The...
Insulin resistance occurs when the hormone, produced by the pancreas, cannot be used by the body. Insulin facilitates the breakdown of glucose for energy. With insulin resistance, the pancreas continue to secrete insulin until the demand is too...
A brain aneurysm, also called a cerebral aneurysm, is a weakened area of a blood vessel's wall, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Brain aneurysms can rupture, causing bleeding in the brain. To stop the blood...
Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes that causes damage to the retina eye. This can eventually lead to blindness. The condition is accompanied by symptoms such as blurred vision, dark or empty areas in your...
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) states that 5 percent of Americans have a type of brain aneurysm, which is a ballooning of the blood vessel. When the vessel leaks, or ruptures, bleeding starts in the brain. Around 27,000 people each year...
Trigeminal neuralgia, also called tic douloureux, results in severe pain. The disorder affects one of the cranial nerves, the trigeminal nerve, which begins at the base of the brain. The patient has an episode of pain that occurs in the face,...
L-arginine is an amino acid that’s made in your body and found in foods such as soybeans, nuts and grains. Its main functions are to convert toxic ammonia to the waste product urea and provide immune system support. L-arginine shows promise...
A cluster headache is an excruciatingly painful headache on one side of the head. This type of headache usually affects men, according to the Merck Manuals. A person often experiences tearing up of the eye on the same side as the pain, along with...
Neuropathy is a microvascular complication of diabetes that is caused by a progressive weakening of blood vessels that supply nerves with oxygen and nutrients. Diabetic neuropathy affects nerves that sense pain, are involved in motor control and...
A1C, also known as hemoglobin A1C is a simple lab test that reflects the body's average glucose levels over the past two to three months. It is determined by measuring the percentage of glycated hemoglobin in the blood and is the best measure of...
A person with elevated levels of cholesterol in the blood has a condition called hypercholesterolemia. Ideally, as outlined on the National Institutes of Health's website MedlinePlus, total cholesterol levels should be less than 200 milligrams...
In 2006, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 7.8 percent of the population diagnosed with diabetes in 2007. It is a manageable disease that can often be prevented and you may or may not have symptoms....
Plastic surgery can be used for reconstructive or cosmetic reasons. There are many different kinds of plastic surgery that can be performed. Learn about plastic surgery considerations in this video.
