Medical science is constantly at work finding more efficient and effective ways to detect heart and blood vessel disease early enough to treat it successfully.
Researchers at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria, used myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) to detect any heart problems in people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes but who have no signs or symptoms of heart disease.
Their work was reported in the journal Nuclear Medicine Communications in November 2014.
Like all tissue in the human body, heart muscle needs blood to supply it with oxygen and the nutrients it requires to keep it doing its job.
The coronary arteries supply heart muscle with blood but, when they are blocked parts of the heart can lack oxygen.
This can cause some of the muscle to die if it is not remedied.
Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) takes images of the heart, showing areas where the heart muscle is getting enough blood.
A total of forty-one Type 2 diabetics who had no signs or symptoms of coronary artery blockage were enrolled in the study and given an MPI.
Another MPI was performed three-years later...

• 13 of these diabetics, or 32 percent, showed parts of the heart that were not getting enough blood.
  
• 3 years later, 8 of the 13 had normal blood flow into all the heart muscle.
  The amount of blood their hearts pumped into the circulation also improved due to treatment they had received over the three-year interval.
  

Type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for coronary artery disease because diabetics often have high blood cholesterol and fat levels which tend to block arteries.
The obesity frequently seen in people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes puts a strain on the heart.
Also the sedentary lifestyle that frequently accompanies Type 2 diabetes, does not give the heart muscle the workout it needs.
To maintain a healthy heart, non-diabetics as well as Type 2 diabetics need to...

• keep their body mass index between 20 and 24.
  9.
  
• eating not less but the right kinds of foods, is a big help.
  
• eating lots of salads provides roughage that helps slow down the absorption of carbohydrates, preventing blood sugar spikes.
  
• going for a walk each day is helpful too, as is taking medications on schedule.
  

While Type 2 diabetes is clearly treatable, it is a complex disease that can be managed through a multilayered approach.
The goal of treatment is not just to relieve symptoms, but to prevent a range of other diseases down the road.
It is important for diabetics to make and keep their checkup appointments with their primary care doctor and also see a cardiologist every 5 years to check how well their heart is functioning.
If the coronary arteries are too restricted for normal heart function, surgery is an option, but preventive medicine is always best.