Newly diagnosed T2D linked to earlier CVD events

A new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) raises the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) development within 10 years in both men and women and across age groups, particularly among younger patients, reveals a recent study.

In addition, CVD may occur ≤12 years earlier among individuals with a newly diagnosed T2D compared with the general population.

This cohort study included a total of 142,587 Danish patients with a T2D diagnosis between 2006 and 2013, as well as 388,410 sex- and age-matched individuals from the general population. All participants had no prior atherosclerotic CVD. The authors then estimated the 10-year risk of CVD (ie, myocardial infarction, stroke, and fatal CVD).

Overall, 52,471 CVD events were documented. The 10-year CVD risk was higher in T2D patients than in the general population in both sexes and across age groups, especially among younger individuals. For instance, patients aged 40‒49 years had the highest 10-year CVD risk difference (6.1 percent vs 3.3 percent; risk difference, 2.8 percent; subdistribution hazard ratio, 1.91, 95 percent confidence interval, 1.76‒2.07).

Notably, a significant between-group difference was observed in the age when a given CVD risk was reached. For example, a 10-year CVD risk of 5 percent was reached by men with T2D at age 43 years compared with 12 years later, at age 55, among men without T2D. Likewise, a 10-year CVD risk of 5 percent was reached by women with T2D at age 51 and by women without T2D 10 years later, at age 61.