Considerable disturbances of cardiovascular risk factors in women with diabetes and myocardial infarction

Abstract 

Objective

To investigate to which extent differences in cardiovascular risk factors explain the increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and complication rate in women with diabetes mellitus (DM).

Design

Case-control study.

Subjects

We compared women with diabetes and previous MI (n=29), diabetes but no MI (n=46), prior MI but no diabetes (n=64), and healthy controls (n=125).

Measurements

Smoking habits, physical activity, blood pressure (BP), body mass index (BMI), waist/hip ratio (WHR), serum lipids, plasma fibrinogen, and serum sex hormones.

Results

Despite the fact that diabetic women had similar BMI, those with a past MI, compared to diabetic women without MI, had significantly higher WHR (mean, 95% CI) [0.89 (0.87, 0.92) vs. 0.84 (0.81, 0.86) mmol/l, P=.001] and very high S-triglycerides [3.03 (2.23, 3.83) vs. 1.69, (1.39, 1.99) mmol/l, P=.001] and low HDL-cholesterol [1.09 (0.94, 1.24) vs. 1.56 (1.41, 1.71) mmol/l, P<.001], indicating pronounced metabolic disturbances. Women with MI but no diabetes had intermediate values for WHR, triglycerides, and HDL-cholesterol. Furthermore, women with diabetes and MI had significantly higher p-fibrinogen, were smokers, and lived a more sedentary life than the other women. Over half of all women with prior MI were on lipid-lowering therapy and tended to have nonsignificantly lower S-cholesterol than women without MI.

Conclusions

Women with diabetes who have manifested an MI carry a very substantial cardiovascular risk factor burden, which probably explain their increased morbidity and mortality. In order to improve prognosis, studies targeted at investigating treatment modalities for these abnormalities are needed.

Keywords:  Case-control study, Diabetes mellitus, Women, Myocardial infarction, Risk factors