Diabetes ups risk of heart attack death by 50 percent
According to a new study by researchers from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, for people with diabetes, the risk of death from heart attack could increase by more than 50%.
"The results provide robust evidence that diabetes is a significant long-term population burden among patients who have had a heart attack," said lead researcher Chris Gale, Consultant Cardiologist and Associate Professor at University of Leeds.
According to the findings, diabetics were 56% more likely to have died if they had suffered a STEMI (ST elevation myocardial infarction) heart attack compared to the people without the condition. In STEMI heart attack – which is described as a "classic" heart attack – the coronary artery becomes completely blocked.
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American Diabetes Association reports approximately 29.1 million people in the U.S. are living with diabetes.
The most common form of diabetes is type 2, which occurs when the body is unable to effectively use insulin – a hormone – resulting in abnormal levels of blood glucose.
Type 1 diabetes accounts for around 5% of all cases of diabetes. Type 1 occurs when the body cannot produce insulin.
It is a well established fact that people with diabetes are at much greater risk for countless other health hazards, including heart attack, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.
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For the study, Dr. Gale and colleagues set out to explore the long-term risk of death from heart attack, or myocardial infarction, among diabetics – a risk that has previously been unclear.
The team tracked the 703,920 people from the UK, who, between January 2003 and June 2013, had been admitted to hospital with a heart attack. Of these people, 121,000 had diabetes.
A total of 281,259 people had experienced a STEMI heart attack, where an ECG reading showed a complete blockage of the coronary artery, causing damage to a large part of the heart.
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The remaining 422,661 individuals had experienced a non-STEMI heart attack, where the coronary artery is partially blocked.
In order to compare the risk of heart attack death in people with and without diabetes, the researchers compared the data from these individuals with that of the general population of England and Wales.
The team found those with diabetes was at 56% greater risk of death from a STEMI heart attack and at 39% greater risk of death from a non-STEMI heart attack, compared with individuals without diabetes.
The study clearly indicates that the harmful effect on survival is connected to having diabetes, and not other conditions patients with this condition may suffer from.
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Anna Morris, Head of Research Funding at Diabetes UK – a research organization, says:
"Managing diabetes effectively can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This includes eating healthily, keeping active and taking medications as prescribed by your doctor.”
The findings remained even after the researchers took into account a number of potentially staggering factors, such as patients' age, sex, other illnesses, and variations in emergency medical treatment.
According to Dr. Gale, the study provides "robust evidence that diabetes is a significant long-term population burden among patients who have had a heart attack." He adds:
"Although these days people are more likely than ever to survive a heart attack, we need to place greater focus on the long-term effects of diabetes in heart attack survivors.
“The partnership between cardiologists, GPs and diabetologists needs to be strengthened and we need to make sure we are using established medications as effectively as possible among high-risk individuals."
Dr. Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation - which funded the study, adds:
"This research highlights the need to find new ways to prevent coronary heart disease in people with diabetes and develop new treatments to improve survival after a heart attack.”
In the future, the researchers plan to examine the hidden mechanisms that might explain why diabetes elevates the risk of death from heart attack.
The study results were published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.