In some cases, the risk of diabetic heart ailments can be significantly reduced through lifestyle modifications, such as:

• Regular exercise
• Good diet
• Quitting smoking
• Loss of excess weight
• Limiting alcohol

For many people with diabetes, lifestyle modifications alone are not enough to reduce the risk of heart conditions. There are many medications used to treat heart conditions related to diabetes. These include:

• Aspirin. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends low-dose aspirin therapy for patients with diabetes at high risk for cardiovascular disease. However, some patients, such as those with stomach problems or kidney diseases such as diabetic nephropathy, may not be able to take aspirin. Individuals are advised to consult their physician for details about the benefits and risks of aspirin therapy.

• Other anticoagulants or antiplatelets, or clot-busting drugs.
  
  
• Antihypertensives. Medications that lower blood pressure and in some cases have other health benefits. Antihypertensives include:
  
  
• • ACE inhibitors
  • Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)
  • Calcium channel blockers
  • Diuretics
  • Beta blockers
  • Alpha blockers
  • Central adrenergic inhibitors
  • Renin inhibitors
    
    
• Cholesterol drugs. Medications that improve levels of fats (lipids) in the blood, which include cholesterol and triglycerides. Types of cholesterol drugs include statins, bile acid resins, nicotinic acid (niacin), fibrates and cholesterol reabsorption inhibitors.
  
  
• Oral antidiabetic agents. Medications prescribed for many people with type 2 diabetes. Some of these drugs have been found to have heart benefits, others to have cardiac risks. Patients who take antidiabetic agents are advised to ask their physician about the possible cardiovascular benefits and risks of these medications.

In some instances, medications alone may not adequately treat heart conditions related to diabetes. Procedures to open or bypass blocked blood vessels may be necessary. Such procedures include:

• Angioplasty. A small balloon is attached to a tube and inserted into the blocked vessel. The balloon is then inflated, which opens the vessel. In some cases, a wire tube called a stent is inserted to keep the artery open.
  
  
• Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). A vessel is taken from the leg, wrist or chest and attached to points above and below a blocked coronary artery. This allows blood flow to bypass a blockage and continue on to the heart.

Patients with end-stage heart disease may become eligible for a heart transplant. Long-term survival rates of heart recipients with uncomplicated, well-controlled diabetes are similar to those of nondiabetic recipients, recent research shows.