Diabetes Killed Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia: Lessons that Were Learned
Diabetes, drug addiction, smoking and drinking
Smoking is therapeutic and is a relaxant after a stressful day. Jerry Garcia had many stressful days, and his smoking was heavy. When you have type 2 diabetes and smoke, you are at risk of developing kidney and eye disease or retinopathy. Diabetic symptoms were in addition to all the complications that come with smoking – clogged arteries raises blood pressure and increases in LDL and triglyceride levels.
Those with diabetes are at high risk of suffering from heart problems. If you smoke, your tendency to experience heart disease is ten times higher than those with diabetes who do not smoke. Diabetic complications had already started to damage blood vessels in Garcia's heart, and smoking compounded this deterioration.
