Diabetes is a disease that affects millions of people worldwide and is
characterized by elevated levels of glucose in the blood due to its overproduction
mainly by liver, and underutilization by insulin requiring organs such as liver, adipose
and muscle tissues. There is, however, glucose over utilization in tissues not dependent
on insulin for glucose transport like kidney, nerve and brain. Due to the excess tissue
glucose there are serious complications and its reversal is important for a good
metabolic control and normalization of body. Diabetes adversely affects the arteries,
predisposing them to atherosclerosis, which in turn cause high blood pressure and other
cardiovascular problems. If not treated, it can lead to blood vessel damage, stroke, heart
failure, heart attack, or kidney failure. Diabetes comes in a variety of types with the
most common being type 1 and type 2. Type 1 is an auto-immune disease resulting from
an insulin deficiency; while type 2 is characterized by an insulin resistance resulting
from genetic factors, poor diet, excess weight and inactivity. Compared to people with
normal blood pressure, hypertensive people have an increased risk of coronary artery
disease, strokes, peripheral vascular disease (hardening of the arteries in the legs and
feet) and heart failure. This paper will discuss the biochemical events of these metabolic
disorders and the relationship between diabetes and hypertension to understand how the
intervention process for its management can be initiated in personal level.
Keywords: Diabetes, hypertension, complications, blood pressure, insulin, heart,
vascular, management.