Aspirin therapy and primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in diabetes mellitus

The benefits of aspirin therapy in reducing the subsequent risk of myocardial infarction, stroke and death is well documented in individuals with cardiovascular disease including those with diabetes mellitus (DM). The evidence for aspirin use in primary prevention of cardiovascular events in DM is debatable and meta-analyses do not suggest a proven benefit. Despite the lack of evidence, low-dose aspirin therapy has been recommended by many current diabetes guidelines. This article reviews the results of two recently published large randomized clinical trials that have looked at primary prevention of cardiovascular events using aspirin in patients with DM.     

Heart rate turbulence can predict cardiac mortality following myocardial infarction in patients with diabetes mellitus

Heart Rate Turbulence in Post‐MI Patients With DM. Background: Previous studies have described the clinical utility of heart rate turbulence (HRT) as an autonomic predictor in risk‐stratifying patients after myocardial infarction (MI). Some reports showed that diabetes mellitus (DM) affects the prognostic value of autonomic markers. We assessed the utility of HRT as a risk marker in post‐MI patients with DM and without DM. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 231 consecutive DM patients and 300 non‐DM patients after acute MI. HRT was measured using an algorithm based on 24‐hour Holter electrocardiograms (ECGs), assessing 2 parameters: turbulence onset (TO) and turbulence slope (TS). HRT was considered positive when both TO ≥0% and TS ≤2.5 ms/R‐R interval were met. The endpoint was defined as cardiac mortality. Results: Of patients with DM, 9 patients (4%) were not utilized for HRT assessment because of frequent ventricular contractions or presence of atrial fibrillation. Forty‐two of 222 patients (19%) were HRT positive. During follow‐up of 876 ± 424 days, 26 patients (22%) reached the endpoint. Several factors including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), renal dysfunction, documentation of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), and a HRT‐positive outcome had significant association with the endpoint. Multivariate analysis determined that renal dysfunction and a positive HRT outcome had significant value with a hazard ratio (HR) of 4.7 (95%CI, 1.9–11.5; P = 0.0008) and 3.5 (95%CI, 1.4–8.8; P = 0.007), respectively. In non‐DM patients, only a positive HRT outcome had significant value. Conclusions: This study reveals that HRT detected by 24‐hour Holter ECG can predict cardiac mortality in post‐MI patients whether DM is present or not. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 22, pp. 1135‐1140, October 2011)     

Smoking, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in men in the Asia Pacific region

Background: To assess whether there is a statistical interaction between smoking and diabetes that is related to the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in men in the Asia Pacific region. Methods: An individual participant data meta‐analysis was conducted on 34 cohort studies, involving 16 492 participants with diabetes (47.4% smokers) and 188 897 without (47.6% smokers). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for smoking (stratified by study and adjusted for age) for those with and without diabetes. Results: In men with diabetes, the HR (95% CI) comparing current smokers with non‐smokers was 1.42 (1.10–1.83) for coronary heart disease, 1.10 (0.88–1.37) for total stroke and 1.15 (0.98–1.35) for total CVD. The corresponding figures for men without diabetes were 1.47 (1.33–1.61), 1.27 (1.16–1.39) and 1.35 (1.27–1.44), respectively. There was no evidence of a statistical interaction between diabetes and current smoking, the number of cigarettes smoked per day or quitting smoking. Smoking cessation was associated with a 19% reduction in CVD risk, irrespective of diabetes status. Conclusions: The effects of cigarette smoking and smoking cessation are broadly similar in men with and without diabetes. In Asia, where there are high rates of smoking and a rapidly increasing prevalence of diabetes, strategies that encourage smokers to quit are likely to have huge benefits in terms of reducing the burden of CVD in men with diabetes.     

Effects of alcohol consumption on mortality in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus

Aims/hypothesis Moderate alcohol intake has been associated with increased life expectancy due to reduced mortality from cardiovascular disease. We prospectively examined the effects of alcohol consumption on mortality in Type 2 diabetic patients in Switzerland.Methods A total of 287 patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (125 women, 162 men), recruited in Switzerland for the WHO Multinational Study of Vascular Disease in Diabetes, were included in this study. After a follow-up period of 12.6±0.6 years (means ± SD), mortality from CHD and from all causes was assessed.Results During the follow-up, 70 deaths occurred (21 from CHD, 49 from other causes). Compared with non-drinkers, alcohol consumers who drank alcohol 1 to 15 g, 16 to 30 g and 30 g or more per day had the following risk rates of death from CHD: 0.87 (95% CI: 0.25 to 2.51, NS), 0.00 (95% CI: 0.00 to 0.92, p less than 0.05) and 0.37 (95% CI, 0.01 to 2.42, NS), respectively. The corresponding risk rates of death from all causes were 1.27 (95% CI: 0.68 to 2.28, NS), 0.36 (95% CI: 0.09 to 0.99, p less than 0.05) and 1.66 (95% CI: 0.76 to 3.33, NS).Conclusions/interpretation In Swiss Type 2 diabetic patients moderate alcohol consumption of 16 to 30 g per day was associated with reduced mortality from CHD and from all causes. Alcohol intake above 30 g per day was associated with a tendency towards increased all-cause mortality.Abbreviations HR Hazard ratio - ICD-9 International Classification of Disease 9 - RR risk rate     

Social deprivation and mortality in adults with diabetes mellitus

To investigate the relationship between measures of social deprivation and mortality in adults with diabetes, data from 2104 randomly selected adults (>16 years of age) with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus from 8 hospital out-patient departments were analysed. A total of 38 % of subjects had Type 1 (diagnosed before the age of 36 years and treated with insulin), 55 % were male and 85 % Caucasian. During a follow-up period (mean (SD) of 8.4 (0.9) years), 293 (14 %) of the subjects died, the most commonly recorded cause of death being cardiovascular disease. Duration adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were calculated separately for Type 1 and Type 2 subjects. The mortality rates for men were higher than for women (Type 1: OR 1.27, CI 0.61–2.62; Type 2: OR 1.79, CI 1.27–2.52); were higher for those of lower vs higher social class (Type 1: OR 1.34, CI 0.61–2.96; Type 2: OR 2.0, CI 1.41–2.85); and were higher for those who left school before 16 years of age compared to those who left school at or after 16 years of age (Type 1: OR 3.98, CI 1.96–8.06; Type 2: OR 2.86, CI 1.93–4.25). Subjects who were unemployed had a higher mortality rate than those employed at the time of the study (Type 1: OR 3.10, CI 1.67–5.79; Type 2: OR 2.88, CI 2.12–3.91) and those living in council housing had a greater mortality than those who were living in other types of housing (Type 1: OR 2.57, CI 1.35–4.91, Type 2: OR 2.76, CI 2.05–3.73). Also for both Type 1 and Type 2 subjects mortality was significantly higher in those subjects who had a least one diabetic complication at baseline and reported one or more hospital admissions in the previous year and in Type 2 subjects with poor glycaemic control. After adjusting for duration of diabetes, hospital admissions, and the presence of diabetic complications, being unemployed, male, in poor glycaemic control (Type 2 only), and less educated were significant risk factors for mortality (p<0.001). These results suggest that there are important indicators of social deprivation which predict mortality over and above diabetic health status itself. Locally targeted action will be required if these inequalities in health experienced by people with diabetes are to be reduced. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Glycaemic status and cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus: re-visiting glycated haemoglobin targets for cardiovascular disease prevention

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among people with type 2 diabetes. Recent attention has focused on chronic hyperglycaemia as an additional risk factor in people with diabetes since their excess CVD risk is not entirely explained by traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Clinical trials of intensive glucose control to reduce CVD events have been equivocal, but recent epidemiological studies have shown that HbAlc, a measure of chronic hyperglycaemia, predicts incident cardiovascular events. This review, which focuses on type 2 diabetes, summarizes (i) the epidemiological literature examining the relation between glycaemic status, as assessed by glycated haemoglobin (HbAlc) and CVD, (ii) the controversy regarding treatment goals for HbAlc in terms of preventing microvascular disease vs. macrovascular disease and (iii) on-going clinical trials of intensive glycaemic control for CVD prevention.     

Perinatal mortality in Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS: In many parts of the world the number of pregnancies in women with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) now exceeds that in women with Type 1 DM, but there are few data published on perinatal mortality in Type 2 DM. This study reports observational data on perinatal mortality in Type 2 DM from a population with a high background rate of this disorder. METHODS: Over a 12-year period (1985-1997) at the Diabetes Clinic at National Women's Hospital, Auckland, there were 434 pregnancies in women with Type 2 DM (256 known and 178 diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but confirmed to have Type 2 DM early post-partum), 160 pregnancies in women with Type 1 DM and 932 in women with GDM. Perinatal mortality was classified as either intermediate fetal death (20-28 weeks' gestation), late fetal death (28 weeks' gestation to term) or early neonatal death (up to 1 month post-partum). RESULTS: The perinatal mortality in Type 2DM was 46.1/1,000, significantly higher than the rates for the general population (12.5), Type 1 DM (12.5) and GDM (8.9) (P < 0.0001). Congenital malformations accounted for only 10% of the perinatal mortality. There was a seven-fold increase in the rate of late fetal death and 2.5-fold increase in the rates of intermediate fetal and late neonatal death. Subjects with Type 2 DM were significantly older and more obese than subjects with Type 1 DM, and presented later to the diabetes service. CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal mortality in Type 2 DM is significantly increased, mainly owing to an excess of late fetal death. Maternal factors such as obesity may be important contributors to the high perinatal mortality. Women diagnosed with GDM who have unrecognized Type 2 DM are also at high risk, but perinatal mortality is low in women with milder degrees of glucose intolerance in pregnancy.     

Myocardial infarct size and mortality in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Abstract. Objectives. To study the infarct size and mortality in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and in non-diabetic subjects with their first acute myocardial infarction. Design. Seven year follow-up study of large representative cohorts of patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and non-diabetic subjects (study 1) and the FINMONICA acute myocardial infarction register study in 1988-89 (study 2). Setting. Populations of the districts of the Kuopio University Hospital and Turku University Central Hospital (study 1). Populations of Kuopio and North Karelia provinces and Turku/Loimaa area (study 2). Subjects. Study 1: 1059 patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and 1373 non-diabetic subjects aged 45–64 years at baseline; during the follow-up 166 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (91 men and 75 women) and 30 non-diabetic subjects (25 men and five women) were hospitalized for their first acute myocardial infarction. Study 2: 1622 patients aged 25–64 years hospitalized for their first acute myocardial infarction; 144 patients (90 men and 54 women) had non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and 1153 (890 men and 263 women) were non-diabetic. Main outcome measures. The infarct size was assessed on the basis of maximum levels of serum cardiac enzymes (studies 1 and 2) and QRS-score (study 1). Results. No differences were found in maximum levels of serum cardiac enzymes between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Similarly QRS-score gave no suggestion of a difference in infarct size between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. In both studies mortality before hospital admission was similar in diabetic and non-diabetic patients, but mortality within 28 days from hospital admission was twice as high in diabetic patients as in non-diabetic patients. Cardiac failure was the main cause of death significantly more often in diabetic patients than in non-diabetic patients (study 2). Conclusions. Poorer prognosis of acute myocardial infarction in diabetic patients appears not to be explained by a larger infarct size but probably by adverse effects of the diabetic state itself on myocardial function.     

糖尿病合并脓毒症患者的主要不良心血管事件及全因死亡发生风险分析

目的 探讨糖尿病合并脓毒症患者住院30天内主要不良心血管事件（MACE）的发生特点及全因死亡的发生风险。方法 共纳入720例脓毒症患者,根据是否合并糖尿病分为合并糖尿病组252例和无糖尿病组468例,比较两组患者MACE及全因死亡的发生情况及住院第1～15天(D₁₅)和第16～30天(D₃₀)MACE发生特点。结果 合并糖尿病组患者的MACE发生率为36.5%,明显高于无糖尿病组的22.2%（P<0.05）,但两组患者急性脑血管意外发生率比较差异无统计学意义（P＞0.05）;合并糖尿病组患者的全因死亡发生率为25.0%,明显高于无糖尿病组的15.6%（P<0.05）。两组患者D₁₅的急性冠脉综合征、急性心力衰竭、严重心律失常、心源性死亡发生率分别高于比同组D₃₀（P<0.05）,但两组D₁₅和D₃₀的急性脑血管意外发生率同组内比较差异均无统计学意义（P>0.05）。多因素logistic回归分析结果显示,糖尿病是脓毒症患者发生MACE的独立预测因素(P<0.05)。结论 合并糖尿病的脓毒症患者住院30天期间MACE和全因死亡的发生率明显升高,有效控制血糖可能减少合并糖尿病的脓毒症患者MACE和全因死亡的发生。     

Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease — putative association via common antecedents; further evidence from the whitehall study

Summary Fifteen year mortality rates are reported for men participating in the Whitehall Study in 1968–1970. Subjects were divided into four groups — normoglycaemic (centiles 1–95 of the blood glucose distribution: n=17,051), glucose intolerant (centiles 96–100: n = 999), newly diagnosed diabetic patients (n=56) and previously diagnosed diabetic patients (n=121) treated with diet±tablets. Relative risks for all causes mortality and from coronary and cardiovascular disease deaths were calculated. Age adjusted relative risks were highest in the newly diagnosed diabetic patients and were also increased in glucose intolerant and previously diagnosed diabetic men (p<0.05), but did not increase with increasing duration of diabetes. With adjustment for other risk factors, relative risks were similar in newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed diabetic men. There was no significant linear trend of adjusted relative risks with duration of diabetes when all diabetic men were pooled and person years at risk calculated. The lack of effect of duration upon relative risk together with other observations suggests common, possibly genetic, antecedents of both Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes and coronary heart disease.     

Comparative accuracy of cardiovascular risk prediction methods in patients with diabetes mellitus

SUMMARY
Objective   To compare the accuracy of cardiovascular risk prediction methods based on equations derived from the Framingham Heart Study in a cohort of patients with diabetes mellitus.
Research design and methods   Risk factor data was collected prospectively from 906 patients with diabetes mellitus. Absolute cardiovascular risks were calculated using the Framingham equation, and estimated with the currently available Framingham-based risk tables and charts. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of the tables and charts to assess cardiovascular risk were assessed using calculation of risk from the full Framingham equation as the reference method.
Results   In all, 146 subjects (16.1%) had calculated 10-year coronary heart disease (CHD) risks ≥ 30%, and 585 (64.6%) had risks ≥ 15%. For identification of those at 10-year CHD risk ≥ 30%, the original Sheffield tables had a sensitivity of 43% (95% confidence intervals (CI) 19.9–61.7%) and specificity of 94% (CI 90.8–96.7%). Modifications of the Sheffield tables improve sensitivity (95% CI 93.9–97%) but reduce specificity (90% CI 85.6–95.7%). The Joint British Guidelines' charts have a moderate sensitivity (69.5% CI 51.8–81.9%) and high specificity (99.7% CI 98.9–100%). For identification of individuals at a 10-year CHD risk ≥ 27%, the Framingham categorical tables had a sensitivity of 95% (CI 91.6–97.8%), but a specificity of only 83% (95% CI 79.1–85.5%).
Conclusions   The Joint British charts appear to have the best performance in a cohort of patients with diabetes mellitus, however, calculation of CHD/CVD (cardiovascular disease) risks with personal or laboratory computers using the full Framingham equation remains the most accurate way to assess cardiovascular risk in a primary prevention setting.     

Body mass index and risk of all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality in hospitalized elderly patients with diabetes mellitus

Aims Obesity is linked to increased morbidity and mortality risk in both the general population and in patients with diabetes mellitus; however, recent reports suggest that, in hospitalized elderly individuals, the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality may be inverse. The present study sought to investigate the association between BMI and survival in hospitalized elderly individuals with diabetes mellitus. Methods The medical records of 470 patients (226 males, mean age of 81.5 ± 7.0 years) admitted to an acute geriatric ward between 1999 and 2000 were reviewed. Of the 140 patients with diabetes mellitus, 122 had more than 6 months of follow‐up and were included in this analysis. Patients were followed up until 31 August 2004. Mortality data were extracted from death certificates. Results During a mean follow‐up of 3.7 ± 1.6 years, 69 (56.6%) subjects died, 31 (25.4%) from cardiovascular causes. Those who died from any cause had lower baseline BMI than those who survived (24.0 ± 4.0 vs. 27.1 ± 4.3 kg/m²; P < 0.0001). Similarly, those who died of cardiovascular causes had lower baseline BMI than those who did not (23.7 ± 3.6 vs. 25.9 ± 4.5, P = 0.01). BMI was inversely associated with all‐cause [relative risk (RR) 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.83–0.96, P = 0.002] and cardiovascular death (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.74–0.93, P = 0.002) even after controlling for age, sex, smoking, dyslipidaemia and reason for hospital admission. Conclusions In very elderly subjects with diabetes mellitus, increased BMI was associated with reduced mortality risk.     

2型糖尿病并发急性心肌梗死的临床与溶栓疗效

目的探讨2型糖尿病并发急性心肌梗死的临床特征与静脉溶栓的疗效。方法急性心肌梗死住院病例186例,并发2型糖尿病69例(糖尿病组),未合并糖尿病117例(对照组),均在发病后12 h内进行尿激酶溶栓治疗,比较两组患者的临床特征和静脉溶栓的近期疗效。结果糖尿病组患者无痛性心肌梗死和多部位梗死的发生率明显高于对照组(P<0．05)。溶栓后糖尿病组的血管再通率明显低于对照组(P< 0．05),病死率、再梗死和合并症的发生率均高于对照组(P<0．05)。结论2型糖尿病并发急性心肌梗死患者的病情较重,静脉溶栓近期疗效较差。     

SGLT2i在合并糖尿病动脉粥样硬化性心血管疾病中的作用研究进展

糖尿病是一种全球流行病,血糖控制不佳是导致心血管疾病患者死亡的主要原因之一.作为新型降糖药,钠-葡萄糖共转运体2抑制剂(SGLT2i)由于其在临床和基础研究中表现出卓越的心血管系统保护作用而倍受关注.前期针对SGLT2i的大型随机对照试验(EMPA-RED研究、CANVAS研究、DELCARE TIMI-58研究)均证...