{"id":86409,"date":"2016-06-22T12:10:03","date_gmt":"2016-06-22T12:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/diabetes-raises-risk-of-heart-attack-death-by-50-per-cent\/"},"modified":"2016-06-22T12:10:03","modified_gmt":"2016-06-22T12:10:03","slug":"diabetes-raises-risk-of-heart-attack-death-by-50-per-cent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/diabetes-raises-risk-of-heart-attack-death-by-50-per-cent\/","title":{"rendered":"Diabetes raises risk of heart attack death by 50 per cent"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Having diabetes increases the risk of dying from the effects of a heart attack by around 50 per cent, according to a widespread study.\n <\/p>\n

Researchers at the University of Leeds tracked 700,000 people who had been admitted to hospital with a heart attack<\/a> between January 2003 and June 2013.<\/p>\n

Of these, 121,000 had diabetes.<\/p>\n

After stripping out the effects of age, sex, any other illnesses and differences in the emergency medical treatment received, the team found stark differences in survival rates.<\/p>\n

People with diabetes were 56 per cent more likely to have died if they had experienced a ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) heart attack \u2013 in which the coronary artery is completely blocked \u2013 than those without the condition.<\/p>\n

They were 39 per cent more likely to have died if they had a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) heart attack \u2013 in which the artery is partially blocked – than those without diabetes.<\/p>\n

Lead researcher Dr Chris Gale, Consultant Cardiologist and Associate Professor in the university’s School of Medicine, said: “These results provide robust evidence that diabetes is a significant long-term population burden among patients who have had a heart attack.<\/p>\n

“Although these days people are more likely than ever to survive a heart attack, we need to place greater focus on the long-term effects of diabetes in heart attack survivors.<\/p>\n

“The partnership between cardiologists, GPs and diabetologists needs to be strengthened and we need to make sure we are using established medications as effectively as possible among high-risk individuals.”<\/p>\n

He added that the next step in their research would be finding out exactly what it is about having diabetes that increases the risk of death following heart attack.<\/p>\n

Dr Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, which funded the study said: “We knew that following a heart attack, you are less likely to survive if you also have diabetes.<\/p>\n

“However, we did not know if this observation was due to having diabetes or having other conditions which are commonly seen in people with diabetes.<\/p>\n

“This paper is the first to conclusively show that the adverse effect on survival is linked to having diabetes, rather than other conditions people with diabetes may suffer from.<\/p>\n

“This research highlights the need to find new ways to prevent coronary heart disease<\/a> in people with diabetes and develop new treatments to improve survival after a heart attack.<\/p>\n

“The British Heart Foundation is committed to funding research in this area.<\/p>\n

“We are currently funding researchers in Leeds to find new ways of keeping blood vessels healthy in people with diabetes in the fight for every heartbeat.”<\/p>\n

Dr Anna Morris, Head of Research Funding at Diabetes UK, said: “While researchers tackle this issue, we know that managing diabetes effectively can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

“This includes eating healthily, keeping active and taking medications as prescribed by your doctor.<\/p>\n

“It’s essential that people with diabetes<\/a> get the support they need to do this effectively, and that we continue to fund research across the UK aimed at preventing the onset of complications in the first place.”<\/p>\n

The study is published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health<\/i>.\n <\/p>\n

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\n Explore further:<\/b>
\n More than 10 percent of heart attack patients may have undiagnosed diabetes<\/a>\n <\/p>\n