How common is heart nerve damage in people with diabetic nerve damage?
About 91% of people in this small study with diabetes-related nerve damage also had damage to nerves that control the heart.
The study included 80 people with established nerve damage from diabetes. Researchers reviewed their health history, examined them, and ran blood tests. They also used several tests of the nerves that control the heart. One measured how the pulse changed from lying down to standing. Others checked responses to breathing, straining, and holding a handgrip.
People with heart nerve damage tended to be older. They also had diabetes longer, larger waists, and higher LDL Cholesterol. But these links did not hold up when researchers considered several factors together. Years lived with diabetes was the only factor that still predicted more advanced heart nerve damage.
This was a snapshot, not a study that followed changes over time. It cannot show what caused the nerve damage. The 91% figure also applies to this specific group, not everyone with diabetes.
For members tracking Standing Heart Rate, the key distinction is how the pulse was measured. A pulse reading while standing on a scale is not the same as testing its response to standing. The study does not show that a daily scale reading can detect heart nerve damage.
Your own trends can still be a starting point for comparing notes. Sharing the device, timing, and body position gives community members more context. It also helps keep unlike measurements from being treated as equal.
What patterns have you noticed in your Standing Heart Rate, and how do you keep your measurements consistent?