Although anyone can have microvascular disease, diabetes and gender seem to the most commonly associated risk factors for it. Microvascular disease is a process through which the small branches of arteries throughout the body become damaged. A common component of other conditions, microvascular disease, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases are often associated. Microvascular diabetes and diabetes, along with being female, are the most commonly associated.

 

What Causes Microvascular Disease in Diabetes and Autoimmune Diseases?

 

The smallest branches of the arteries are very delicate but also very important structures. When these small vessels become damaged, the result is that blood flow is impaired. It is sometimes referred to as small vessel disease. For the fortunate patients, the small arteries sometimes can re-grow, thus overcoming the blockage. This is known as angiogenesis. It is a normal healing process in an otherwise healthy human with microvascular disease. Diabetes patients are usually not so fortunate, and their artery damage will tend to get worse over time, especially if the blood glucose levels are not controlled.

Chemicals in the blood are the most common cause of damage to the lining of the small arteries and the damage leads to blood clots and blockage of the small arteries. Often, the chemicals causing the damage are produced by the patient’s own body as an immune response. This is known as autoimmune microvascular disease. If the damage is in the small arteries of the heart, it is known as coronary microvascular disease. Diabetes patients and women seem to be prone to this condition.

 

What are the Symptoms of Microvascular Disease?

 

The most common symptoms of microvascular disease are discoloration and pain in the extremities of the body, like the fingers and toes. This can even lead to gangrene, again more common in diabetes microvascular disease. These symptoms resemble the symptoms of macrovascular disease, with the exception being that it’s not associated with exercise or muscle pain and the blood pressure in the large arteries is not high.

In coronary microvascular disease, diabetes patients should be on the lookout for the following symptoms:

  • Chest pain, or a feeling like squeezing or discomfort over your central or left part of the chest
  • Chest pain associated with uncomfortable feeling in your left arm or jaw
  • Chest pain that gets worse with activity, though eventually it may occur while at rest
  • Neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort
  • Shortness of breath that is not related to emphysema
  • Unusual or unexplained fatigue
  • A lack of energy

 

These symptoms can be signs of other conditions as well, but if you are having chest pain, you should always seek medical attention to determine the cause. It may or may not be microvascular disease; diabetes patients, sufferers of autoimmune disease, and elderly patients can’t afford the risk of ignoring these symptoms. And if the symptoms are also accompanied with dizziness, nausea, sweating, shortness of breath, or pain that radiates beyond the chest to one or both arms or your neck, you should treat it as a medical emergency.