Diabetes Macrovascular Complications

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that affects the way glucose is used by the body. Macrovascular complications when a person has diabetes can result in severe health conditions that are life-threatening. While the exact reason why some people are susceptible to these complications is not known, risk factors are shown to be a contributing factor.

Identification

Diabetic macrovasular complications are conditions or diseases that affect large blood vessels in the body. These conditions and diseases cause a narrowing in the blood vessel, which results in reduced blood flow. The reduced blood flow eventually causes damage to the area affected.

Risk Factors

A person is at a higher risk of developing macrovasular complications if there are high levels of insulin and blood sugar in the body, high blood pressure and high levels of cholesterol. A person who has problems with blood clotting is also at a higher risk, as is a person who smokes on a regular basis.

Complications

Macrovascular complications resulting from damage to the blood vessels are heart attack, peripheral arterial disease and stroke. The complications are more prevalent in people suffering from Type 2 diabetes rather than Type 1. The narrowing of the blood vessels, called atherosclerosis, results when fat cells stick together and cling to the walls of the arteries. A heart attack and stroke is caused when the blood vessels to the brain are damaged, while peripheral arterial disease is the result of blood vessels to the legs being affected.

Symptoms

The macrovascular complication of heart disease includes symptoms of pain in the chest with palpitations, limited ability to perform physical activities, constant fatigue and shortness of breath and swelling in the legs. Peripheral arterial disease affects circulation due to the blood vessel damage in the legs. This disease displays symptoms of pain in the lower legs while walking, hair loss on the legs, leg ulcers that do not heal and lack of circulation resulting in the legs feeling cold. A person who has had a stroke shows one or all of the following symptoms: impaired speech, double vision, unable to walk, loss of movement on one side of the body and a feeling of tingling or numbness.

Treatment/Prevention

Diabetes macrovascular complications are severe, resulting in treatment being based on each individual case. Preventing a complication from occurring is a treatment plan that all patients with diabetes should follow. Prevention includes closely monitoring blood sugar levels and keeping them within a safe range. A doctor may prescribe a daily dose of aspirin, which acts an anticoagulant to prevent the blood vessels from becoming blocked. Aspirin treatment works to prevent a heart attack or stroke. Decreasing high blood pressure will decrease damage to the walls of the blood vessels, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.