Diabetes and High Blood Pressure: The Link Between Them

Do you currently live with either diabetes or high blood pressure? If so, it’s important to understand the link between these two conditions and how having one can often lead to developing the other. 

At Schaumburg Immediate Care, we provide family medicine and immediate care for patients from all walks of life. Our primary care services focus on everyday health and wellness, and we strive to improve your life so you can achieve your goals. Let us help you make your life the healthiest it can be.   

Comorbidity 101

The National Cancer Institute defines comorbidity as “the condition of having two or more diseases at the same time.” Comorbid diseases can often correspond to one another, meaning that one illness helps to cause, increase the risk of, or inform the presence of the other. 

Diabetes and high blood pressure are common comorbidities. This means they often occur in the same individual. People living with diabetes are twice as likely to develop high blood pressure, and in turn, high blood pressure can be a risk factor for diabetes. 

Why diabetes and hypertension are linked 

Unfortunately, there are many reasons for which a link between diabetes and high blood pressure exists. For one, they share some of the same risk factors, including age, weight, tobacco use, and sedentary lifestyle. If you have several of these risk factors, you could develop one or both conditions if you aren’t careful. 

However, diabetes can lead to high blood pressure. Left untreated, it can cause serious problems, such as kidney scarring and high levels of sugar in the blood. These effects can raise salt and water retention in the body. Over time, this can even affect the blood vessels, causing them to harden. All of these are key factors in creating hypertension.

In turn, hypertension’s effect on the body can lead to insulin resistance, which causes a buildup of sugar in the bloodstream. This can lead to the development of diabetes. In both cases, although many other factors can affect your situation, each condition can make you more vulnerable to the other.

How to avoid problems with hypertension and diabetes 

Fortunately, some good news is that many ways to avoid one condition can help you avoid the other. Some of the best practices include: 

• Exercising regularly 
• Eating a healthy and balanced diet 
• Avoiding overly salty or sugary foods and drinks 
• Cutting out smoking and drinking alcohol 
• Attending regular visits with your provider

However, if you already have one of these conditions, you must take good care of yourself and look to these best practices. Though diabetes and hypertension are both considered incurable conditions, they can both be managed with careful practice. This can also help you avoid developing other comorbid conditions down the line. 

Get help for diabetes or hypertension 

You don’t have to live with the everyday effects of diabetes or high blood pressure, and if you don’t seek treatment, each condition will only worsen (and possibly lead to the development of the other). As such, you should seek assistance from a medical provider if you have one, both, or risk factors for either.

Our office in Schaumburg, IL, is always here to help you get the care you need. Call us at 847-250-1700 or make an appointment online. We look forward to meeting you.