The National Institutes of Health Publication 09-4283, "Prevent Diabetes Problems: Keep Your Heart and Blood Vessels Healthy," addresses diabetes and how you can prevent or slow down related health problems. Too much glucose in the blood for a long time can cause diabetes problems. This high blood glucose, also called blood sugar, can damage many parts of the body, such as the heart, blood vessels, eyes, and kidneys. Heart and blood vessel disease can lead to heart attacks and strokes, the leading causes of death for people with diabetes. You can do a lot to prevent or slow down diabetes problems. This booklet is about heart and blood vessel problems caused by diabetes. You will learn the things you can do each day and during each year to stay healthy and prevent diabetes problems. This Publication is one of seven in a series that can help you learn more about how to prevent diabetes problems. These include: "Keep Your Diabetes Under Control," "Keep Your Heart and Blood Vessels Healthy," "Keep Your Kidneys Healthy," "Keep Your Eyes Healthy," "Keep Your Feet and Skin Healthy," "Keep Your Nervous System Healthy," and "Keep Your Mouth Healthy."