Diabetes damages nerves that change your ability to perceive pain and discomfort. This discomfort warns that a heart attack may be occurring and that you need immediate medical attention. While deaths from heart disease declined from 1971 to 1993 in the United States for men and woman, this same decline was not seen in people with diabetes. Moreover, woman with diabetes actually showed an increase in deaths over the same period from heart disease. In premenopausal women, diabetes cancels out the beneficial effects of estrogen.
Cardiovascular disease is any disease that affects the heart and blood vessels.
This disease has been the number 1 killer in the United States since 1900. In 1999 it was responsible for 340,000 deaths. If oxygen-rich blood can't reach your heart because of a blocked artery, your heart can't function properly. This blockage may cause angina or a myocardial infarction , and your heart may become permanently damaged. Heart Disease Jane thought she was having a routine exam at her healthcare provider's office.