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Item #13
Premenopausal
Diabetics Have 30 Times Higher Risk of CVD Death
Premenopausal
women with insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes have a greatly increased
risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease
That,
according to the results of a large British study presented last week.
Researchers
who followed a cohort of 23,751 male and female diabetics for up to 29
years said analysis of the 1440 patients who died showed that women
under 45 years old lack the cardioprotection seen among women without
diabetes.
Whereas
mortality from heart disease in the general population under 45 was
significantly higher in men, in type 1 diabetics no difference between
men and women was observed, the researchers told attendees of the
annual Diabetes UK medical conference in Glasgow.
A
total of 46 women under 45 years old, including 24 women between the
ages of 15 and 34, had died from ischemic heart disease. The overall
mortality rate was 33.7 compared with 0.9 in the general population,
giving a standardized mortality ratio of 36.
Mortality
from nonhemorrhagic stroke was also significantly increased in
premenopausal women. Eleven deaths were recorded, yielding a mortality
rate of 8.1 compared with 0.3 in the general population, giving a
standardized mortality ratio of 32.2.
"It
is important to note that women in this age group without diabetes
have a very low risk of dying from heart disease," said study
investigator Dr. Susan Laing, an epidemiologist at the Institute of
Cancer Research. "This is why by comparison, women with diabetes
are at such an increased risk. However, it is essential that doctors
are aware of the risk so that they can avoid unnecessary deaths with
early intervention."
Simon
O'Neill, Head of Care Developments at Diabetes UK added in a
statement: "This research shows how serious type 1 diabetes can
be. However, it can be successfully managed and complications can be
avoided. It is important this kind of research is highlighted so we
can be aware of, and act on the risks as early as possible."
Diabetes
UK, which funded the study, said the findings would be published in
Diabetologia later this year.
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FACT:
Heart disease is the number one killer of people with diabetes,
and people with diabetes are 2-4 times more likely to develop both
heart disease and stroke. ACCORD
Study Looks at Heart Disease Risk
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