Risk of Heart Attacks Halves in Patients with Diabetes in 15 Years
upstart writes in with an IRC submission for RandomFactor:
Risk of heart attacks halves in patients with diabetes in 15 years:
Management of patients with type 2 diabetes has changed considerably over the last two decades, with increased focus on prevention of cardiovascular disease. This was the first study to examine how these changes may have affected the risk of heart attacks and premature death in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes and no previous cardiovascular disease.
The researchers identified all patients in Denmark initiating therapy for type 2 diabetes from 1996 to 2011 - 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. Those with previous cardiovascular disease were excluded.
All participants were followed for seven years. Using data from national health registries, the researchers recorded heart attacks and death during follow-up. They also noted the use of medications to prevent cardiovascular disease at the time of diabetes diagnosis.
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 reduced by 4% and 12%, respectively.
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