Abstract
AIMS: We questioned whether prior cardiovascular disease has the same impact on risk of cardiovascular events as type 2 diabetes, and whether this differed between men and women.
METHODS AND RESULTS: To address these issues we compared the 10-year risk of cardiovascular events among 208 Caucasian individuals with diabetes to that of 2253 Caucasian individuals without diabetes, in a population-based cohort study. Gender significantly modified the association between type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular events (p=0.01). The hazard ratio of cardiovascular events associated with the presence of diabetes was higher in women (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.2 to 2.7) than in men (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.3; 0.9 to 2). As compared to men without diabetes but with prior cardiovascular disease, risk of cardiovascular events was significantly lower in men with diabetes but without prior cardiovascular disease (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.5; 0.3 to 0.9). In contrast, this risk was equal in women with diabetes but without prior cardiovascular disease and women without diabetes but with prior cardiovascular disease (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.0; 0.6 to 1.7; P for interaction between gender and diabetes=0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Women with diabetes but without prior cardiovascular disease have a risk of cardiovascular events that is similar to that of women without diabetes but with prior cardiovascular disease, whereas in men the presence of prior cardiovascular disease conferred a higher risk. These data emphasise the necessity of aggressive treatment of cardiovascular risk factors in women with type 2 diabetes.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1406-1413 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | European Heart Journal |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 15 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2003 |
Keywords
- Aged
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
- Diabetic Angiopathies
- Epidemiologic Factors
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Comparative Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't