Warning signs that your diabetes is damaging your heart and blood vessels

Diabetes causes high glucose levels in blood, that damages heart and blood vessels in different ways:

(i)- Persistent high level of glucose in blood causes the production of highly reactive oxygen radicals and oxidative stress, which potentially damage the inner layer of blood vessels, made up of endothelial tissue.

(ii)-This endothelium produces nitric oxide, that acts as a local vasodialator and helps in maintaining blood pressure by vasodialation.

(iii)- High glucose level in blood for prolonged time cause glycation of proteins in blood vessel inner layers, that causes to start accumulation of LDL on damageged sites and hence causing plaque formation, so causes atherosclerosis.

Blood capillaries are microscopic blood vessels, made up of just single layer of endothelial cells, they provide the site of exchange of materials between blood and tissues.

Vasa nervosum are the specific blood vessels that provide oxygen and glucose to peripheral nerves, when endothelial damage occurs in vasa nervosum, oxygen and food supply to nerves is compromised and hence causes nerve damage.

When neuropathy occurs in nerve endings of blood vessels, they fail to preceive and sense signals like blood pressure, oxygen saturation and pH of blood that cuases to start heart damage and many more cardiovascular complications.

So when you feel any sign of neuropathy like numbness, burning sensation or tingling etc, you should discuss it to your doctor.