Land - Visiting Nurse Assn.
Heart disease is the leading cause of diabetes-related deaths.
Heart disease and stroke are 2 to 4 times more common in persons with diabetes. Persons with diabetes have heart disease death rates nearly 2 to 4 times higher than in persons without diabetes. Hypertension High blood pressure affects 60 to 65 percent of people with diabetes. Periodontal disease occurs among 30 percent of people 19 years of age older with type 1 diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy causes from 12,000 to 24,000 new cases of blindness each year.