Coronary artery disease and diabetes
Coronary artery is the artery that provide blood to heart tissues, while coronary artery disease involves the narrowing or blockage of coronary artery.
Mismanaged diabetes is a big cause of onset and worsening of CAD, diabetes causes CAD by various ways.
prolonged high glucose levels in blood damages inner lining of blood vessels by increasing oxidative stress, generating oxygen radicals, decreasing nitric oxide production etc.
when these changes occur in coronary arteries they:
(i)- Start to damage because of endothelial injury, plaque accumulation, and atherosclerosis.
(ii)- When coronary arteries become narrower, chances of stucking of blood clots increase.
(iii)- As endothelial cells secrete nitric oxide, that is a vasodialator. An Endothelial injury causes insuffecient release of nitric oxide, that makes coronary arteries unable to dialate.
When suffecient blood is not supplied to heart tissues, required oxygen and food is not provided to heart tissues that may cause onset of angina pectoris or cardiomyopathy.
