You Can’t Afford to Overlook These Vascular Issues If You Have Diabetes

Living with diabetes means taking extra care to assess your health and take steps to reduce your risk of negative outcomes. Vascular problems are common among diabetics, and can lead to serious health complications. 

Our team at Laser Surgical Solutions RGV, PLLC, works with residents of McAllen, Rio Grande City, and Raymondville, Texas, to enhance and preserve vascular health. We encourage people with diabetes to take advantage of our services both as a preventive measure and to address any current vascular concerns. 

John Hovorka, MD, and Cynthia Salinas, MD, are dedicated to helping patients with diabetes achieve the best possible quality of life. So, let’s talk about how diabetes can affect your vascular health — and when to seek specialized care. 

How does diabetes affect vascular health?

Diabetes is a condition that develops when your pancreas either doesn’t produce enough insulin, or your body can’t properly use the insulin that it does make. Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose in your bloodstream to enter cells, delivering oxygen and nutrients that the cells need to thrive. 

Simply put, if you don’t have enough insulin (or if your body becomes resistant to it), you can’t effectively convert food into usable energy, and your cells won’t be adequately nourished. This is why diabetes causes problems across so many organs and systems within your body; they all need nourishment to function as designed. 

At the same time, your body continues converting the carbohydrates you eat into glucose, or simple sugars. When glucose can’t enter your cells, it builds up in your bloodstream. Over time, high levels of blood glucose damage your vessels, setting the stage for vascular disease. And vascular disease increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. 

Diabetics should be aware of these vascular issues

Knowing the potential vascular health issues that can develop as a complication of diabetes empowers you to take action and mitigate your risk. 

Peripheral artery disease

This condition develops when plaque accumulates on the walls of your arteries (a condition called atherosclerosis). Most often, peripheral artery disease (PAD) restricts blood flow to your lower body, including your legs and feet. In addition to increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke, PAD can also put you at risk for amputation. 

Venous insufficiency

This happens when the veins in your lower body can’t effectively move deoxygenated blood back to your heart. The tiny valves within your veins become damaged, which allows blood to pool in the veins. The pressure within the affected vessels increases, leading to sensations of leg heaviness, leg swelling, or slow-healing wounds called ulcers. 

Disease in smaller arteries

Very often, diabetes damages your body’s smaller arteries, like the ones that supply blood to fingers, toes, eyes, and kidneys, causing circulation and nerve problems. In fact, diabetes is sometimes first diagnosed in patients seeking care for things like foot pain, numb toes, or tingling in the feet. 

Your daily habits can help (or hurt) vascular health issues

The choices you make each day can have a direct impact on your vascular health. That’s why it’s so important to strive for a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Nutrition is at the top of that list, and shaping your diet around healthy, whole foods while avoiding highly processed foods is vitally important. 

Staying active supports your vascular health by keeping your blood flowing freely and reducing the accumulation of plaque within your arteries. Regular exercise can also help keep your blood pressure and cholesterol within a healthy range. 

Smoking and vaping are among the most detrimental things you can do when it comes to staying healthy. Diabetics have an even higher risk of negative outcomes if they smoke or vape, so taking steps to quit the habit for good is essential.

Working with a health professional to manage your diabetes is perhaps the most impactful thing you can do to maintain good vascular health. 

Worried about how diabetes might affect your vascular health?

At Laser Surgical Solutions, RGV, PLLC, we help people with diabetes preserve and enhance their vascular health — and offer individualized care to address any existing vascular disease. 

The best way to understand your current vascular health status is to come in for a thorough assessment with our team: Call or click online to book a visit at your nearest office in McAllen, Rio Grande City, or Raymondville, Texas, today.