Autonomic Neuropathy and the Heart

Ischemia is simply the medical term for a loss of blood flow to an organ. When that organ happens to be your heart, the result is very bad news indeed -- a heart attack. Fortunately, heart attacks usually hurt like the dickens, causing chest pain and other symptoms, such as pain or pressure in the left arm and profuse sweating. Recognize these distinctive signs early enough, and you can call 911 for help.

Orthostatic hypotension can cause your blood pressure to plunge just by standing up.

But if you have autonomic neuropathy and damaged nerves have blocked pain signals to the brain, you could be sitting around the house doing a crossword puzzle and have no idea that a clot had formed in your coronary artery and your heart is starving for oxygen. This condition is called painless, or silent, ischemia, and it occurs in about five percent of diabetes patients who don't have autonomic neuropathy. If you have diabetes and autonomic neuropathy, your risk rises to 38 percent.

Painless ischemia is just one potential danger of cardiovascular neuropathy, which occurs in 17 percent of patients with type 1 diabetes and 22 percent of type 2 patients. For example, your body naturally makes adjustments to maintain normal blood pressure and heart rate to suit different circumstances. Autonomic neuropathy blocks the nerve signals that make these adjustments.

Orthostatic hypotension is one common result of this signal interference. If you have this condition, simply standing up can cause blood pressure to plunge. You may only feel a bit dizzy or light-headed, though in some cases people faint. If damage occurs to the nerves that control heart rate, your cardiovascular system may stay on overdrive all day instead of revving up and relaxing to suit your body's various needs. These disturbances in blood pressure and heart rate increase the risk for cardiac catastrophe.

Learn more about digestive problems caused by diabetic neuropathy in the next section.

For more information on diabetes and its related conditions, try the following links:

• Diabetic Neuropathy is a complex injury that should not be left undiagnosed. Learn more about it in this informative article.
• Damage to the eyes is a common complication associated with diabetes. Find out more on our Diabetes and Eye Problems page.

   

• Diabetes Symptoms covers the diverse signs of the disease, from increased thirst and hunger to sudden weight loss.

   

• To learn more about diabetes in general, including diagnosis, causes, symptoms, and treatment, visit our main Diabetes page.