Diabetes is one of the most widespread chronic conditions found around the world. The basic pathology behind the occurrence of diabetes is the increase in blood sugar levels. It is the job of the hormone insulin to transport the sugar from the blood into the tissues. Based on whether the body is producing too little insulin or utilizing it improperly, someone can have different types of diabetes:

• Type 1: Characterized by a lack of insulin production

• Type 2: Characterized by the inability of insulin to efficiently or adequately transfer sugar from the blood

• Gestational Diabetes: Usually only seen in pregnant women

Diabetes is a condition that affects almost every single part of the body when uncontrolled and may cause exacerbation of other diseases as well. High blood pressure and diabetes are two diseases that are closely associated with each other.

The Relationship Between Diabetes and High Blood Pressure

1. Common culprits

While both hypertension and diabetes can occur independently of each other, there are several reasons why these two conditions go hand in hand. The first is the existence of common risk factors for both high blood pressure and diabetes. Poor eating habits, obesity, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, and alcohol intake are all believed to contribute to the simultaneous occurrence of both conditions.

2. Diabetes, atherosclerosis, and hypertension

People who have diabetes are also much more likely to develop hypertension because of certain inflammatory changes in the arteries which cause them to harden. This change is called atherosclerosis and has been directly linked to the development of hypertension.

3. Unknown reasons

The exact reasons as to why diabetes and hypertension are associated with each other so frequently are still not known. One of the possible explanations pinpoints the role of inflammation and its mediators as a common link although a lot more research is needed to prove that conclusively.

4. Take good care

It also must be remembered that this relationship between high blood pressure and diabetes works in the other direction as well. Taking careful care of diabetes will make the development of hypertension less likely. The likelihood of complications will be reduced and both conditions are able to be managed easier in the long term.

Risk Factors of Both Diseases

• Health risks double

Patients need to realize that the simultaneous occurrence of diabetes and high blood pressure also increases the morbidity rate of both diseases by several folds. Some of the common complications of poorly controlled diabetes include kidney damage (nephropathy), eye damage (retinopathy), Alzheimer's disease, skin infections, and cardiovascular diseases.

In fact, everything from hypertension, chest pain, heart attacks, and/or narrowing of the arteries is much more likely to occur in diabetics. Some scientific studies estimate that the risk of a serious cardiovascular event is almost twice as high in patients that have both hypertension and diabetes.

• Complications develop

Just as diabetes makes it more likely for a patient to develop hypertension, high blood pressure increases the speed of onset and severity of complication in diabetes. Damage to the kidneys and the eyes happens at a particularly rapid rate and can lead to irreversible damage or even death.

• Pregnant women suffer

Pregnant women have also been found to suffer from a very close relationship between pregnancy complications and their diabetic status. Women who have developed gestational diabetes are more likely to have high blood pressure as well. The development of hypertension in pregnancy is considered to be very serious and requires monitoring from the attending doctor.

Protein levels in urine are something doctors use to monitor high blood pressure in pregnant women. If the protein levels go too high, doctors may suspect preeclampsia.

How Are These Diseases Diagnosed, Treated, and Prevented?

• Diagnosis

The term "high blood pressure" can be difficult to define exactly. How high is considered hypertension? Are the levels the same for everyone, or are they different for people with diabetes? Luckily, there is a wealth of data that provides the answers to those questions.

Blood pressure higher than 140/80 is considered to be in the hypertensive range. For diabetics who have started developing secondary complications, the cutoff is actually lower at 130/70. Blood pressure is recorded over several days and at different intervals in order to diagnosis hypertension. One aberrant reading does not mean a person is suffering from high blood pressure.

• Treatment

There is an entire class of drugs that function as antihypertensive medications. There are several different kinds of drugs within the class which function through different mechanisms in the body. The commonly prescribed hypertension drugs include ACE inhibitors, Beta Blockers, Diuretics, and more.

• Prevention

The best way to prevent the occurrence of hypertension, diabetes, or other common chronic diseases is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This includes eating fresh, nutritious food which offers balanced nutrition to the body. Individuals who are obese or overweight should make an effort to lose the extra weight since that can directly affect the amount of work the heart has to do.

If weight loss can be achieved simply by adding physical activity, that is an added bonus. Thirty minutes of physical activity per day helps bring down high blood pressure.

Cigarette smoking and alcohol use are also directly associated with poor diabetic control and the onset of hypertension. Their use should be minimized or stopped completely.

Final Word

Chronic diseases like diabetes or hypertension require a constant vigil and a lifelong commitment to managing them safely. Currently, there is no "cure" for either of the two conditions.

There is enough scientific evidence to conclusively prove that people who are able to keep their diabetes and high blood pressure in check will live longer, healthier lives with a better quality of life. Uncontrolled, both of these conditions tend to worsen the other and lead to a slippery slope from which it may be difficult to recover.