One of the most major lifestyle diseases that has started to impact scores of people across the world is diabetes.
While heart problems are a common development for people with diabetes, the researchers of a recent study, published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, have found diabetes to be an independent risk factor for the development of heart failure.
“Diabetes is also a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and this eventually leads to blockage of coronary arteries. This leads to heart attack or myocardial infarction,” Satish Koul, HOD and Director Internal Medicine, Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Gurugram, told IANS.
“Due to myocardial infarction, the heart muscle becomes weak and eventually heart fails as a pump leading to congestive heart failure,” Koul added.
With the help of both preserved ejection fraction – a measurement of the percentage of blood leaving the heart with each contraction – and reduced ejection fraction, the researchers evaluated the long-term impact of diabetes on the development of heart failure.
Also read: Can’t keep type 2 diabetes under check? Here are 5 ways to sort you out
About 2,042 residents of Olmsted County in US participated in the study, which had a follow-up period of 10 years.
As per the findings of the study, 116 study participants with diabetes were matched 1:2 for age, hypertension, sex, coronary artery disease and diastolic dysfunction to 232 participants without diabetes.
After the follow-up period, 21% of participants with diabetes developed heart failure, independent of other causes.
In comparison, only 12% of patients without diabetes developed heart failure.
“The key takeaway is that diabetes mellitus alone is an independent risk factor for the development of heart failure,” said study senior author Horng Chen from Mayo Clinic in the US.
“Our hope is that this study provides a strong foundation for further investigations into diabetes and heart failure. There is still much to learn and study in terms of this association and how to best diagnose and treat this condition,” Chen added.
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