Coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease risk factors: a study on a middle-aged and elderly population

The risk for all the manifestations of atherosclerotic disease is increased in patients affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus, The aim of the present w ork was to evaluate the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in a wel l-characterized middle-aged and elderly Italian diabetic population. The po pulation studied included 3862 subjects, i.e. all the patients affected by type 2 diabetes of age greater than or equal to 50 years attending the outp atient diabetes care unit of INRCA in Ancona (Italy) from 1 August 1997 to 31 July 1998. We collected and analysed both clinical and laboratory data b y means of a computerized data base for the outpatient clinic management. T he prevalence rate of CHD was 20.25% in this population. The groups with CH D and without CHD did not differ significantly with respect to age at onset of diabetes, body mass index and HbA1c levels, while patients with CHD wer e significantly older than patients without CHD and had a longer duration o f diabetes. The prevalence of patients with hypertension (52.9 vs 63.0%, P < 0.001), hypercholesterolemia (11.6 vs 14.1%, P < 0.05) and hyperlipidemia (17.8 vs 23.3%, P < 0.001) was significantly higher in the group of diabet ic subjects affected by CHD than in patients not affected by heart ischemic disease. It might be hypothesized that the improvement of metabolic profil e and the currently feasible control of non-diabetic risk factors could red uce cardiovascular disease rates in type 2 diabetic patients. (C) 1999 Else vier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.