Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition that affects millions of people around the world.
Unfortunately, those with diabetes are twice as likely to have a heart attack or die from heart disease compared to people without diabetes.
However, there is some good news: a recent study from Aarhus University Hospital suggests that when patients with type 2 diabetes are diagnosed and start taking medications to prevent heart disease, their risk of heart attacks and premature death can be strongly reduced.
The study examined how changes in the management of patients with type 2 diabetes over the last two decades have affected the risk of heart attacks and premature death in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and no previous heart disease.
The researchers identified all patients in Denmark initiating therapy for type 2 diabetes from 1996 to 2011, which amounted to a total of 211,278 patients.
Each patient with diabetes was matched on age and sex with five people without diabetes from the general population and all participants were followed for seven years.
The researchers found that patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and no previous cardiovascular disease experienced major reductions in the risk of heart attack and death.
From 1996 to 2011, the relative risk was reduced by 61% for heart attack and by 41% for death.
During the same period, the absolute risks of heart attack and death were reduced by 4% and 12%, respectively.
When comparing patients with diabetes to the general population, the initially large differences in risk narrowed over time.
By the end of the study, the risk of heart attack among patients with diabetes was only marginally—0.6% – higher than in the general population.
The study also found that the use of cholesterol-lowering medications increased more than 10-fold, aspirin increased by 50%, and blood pressure-lowering medications increased up to four times during the study period.
This suggests that starting medications to prevent heart disease when patients are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes has a substantial impact on the risk of heart attacks and premature death.
In addition, the risk of heart attack and premature death among patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and no previous heart disease was approximately halved from 1996 to 2011.
The same period also saw a substantial narrowing of the difference in risk of heart attack and death for patients with diabetes, as compared to the general population.
This study is an important reminder of the importance of early diagnosis and management of type 2 diabetes, with an increased focus on the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
The findings suggest that starting preventive medications when patients are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can have a significant impact on reducing the risk of heart attacks and premature death.
The study was conducted by Dr. Christine Gyldenkerne et al.
If you care about heart health, please read about studies about how COVID-19 damages the heart, and scientists find new way to heal heart muscle.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about more coffee linked to heart rhythm disease, and results showing Zinc and vitamin B6 linked to lower death risk in heart disease.
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