The risk of developing cardiovascular diseases among people with type 2 diabetes doubles with each decade of aging
This is stated by a cohort study published in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology, which recommends taking sex and age into account when addressing circulatory conditions in people with this metabolic disease.
A cohort study published in the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology concludes that among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases doubles with each decade of aging. The study, led by researchers from Clínic-IDIBAPS, CIBEROBN, and the Institute of Research in Primary Care Jordi Gol (IDIAPJGol), analyzes data from 247,751 patients with type 2 diabetes who were followed for seven years. During this period, 23.4% of these individuals experienced a first cardiovascular event. The research also points out that women with type 2 diabetes suffer more cerebrovascular conditions such as stroke.
The study was led by Amanda Jiménez and Emilio Ortega, from the Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition at the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona and the IDIBAPS group "Translational research in diabetes, lipids, and obesity", and Bogdan Vlacho and Josep Franch-Nadal from IDIAPJGol.
Higher risk among young women
Previous studies have shown that women have a lower risk of having cardiovascular disease than men, but, on the other hand, their probability of experiencing heart failure is higher. The most recent studies conducted with people with type 2 diabetes also show higher rates of heart failure among women. According to these studies, circulatory diseases, mainly coronary diseases, cause most premature cardiovascular events at all ages, while heart failure is more frequent in older people of both sexes and doubles with each decade, according to previous studies.
The IDIBAPS and IDIAPJGol study also found that hypertension, obesity, and socioeconomic status have a greater impact on the development of cardiovascular diseases in women with type 2 diabetes than in men, especially among younger patients.
Adapting prevention
Based on these results, the authors of the study recommend individually assessing cardiovascular risk and preventive strategies in people with type 2 diabetes, considering the specific risks by sex and age. IDIBAPS researcher Amanda Jiménez and IDIAPJGol researcher Bogdan Vlacho emphasize that "prevention measures should be evaluated and adjusted to better address sex and age differences, as current strategies mainly focus on middle-aged men."
Article reference
Jiménez A, Vlacho B, Mata-Cases M, Real J, Mauricio D, Franch-Nadal J, Ortega E. Sex and age significantly modulate cardiovascular disease presentation in type 2 diabetes: a large population-based cohort study. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024 May 17;15:1344007. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1344007. PMID: 38828412; PMCID: PMC11140096.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38828412/
