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Increased prevalence of ventricular fibrillation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Mohammad-Reza Movahed1, Mehrtash Hashemzadeh, Mazen Jamal

  • 1Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology, University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center, 1501 North Campbell Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85724-5037, USA. rmova@aol.com

Heart and Vessels
|July 27, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Diabetes mellitus (DM) significantly increases the risk of ventricular fibrillation, independent of heart conditions. This finding in diabetic patients may explain their higher risk of sudden cardiac death.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
  • Patients with DM have a higher incidence of ventricular arrhythmias, often attributed to coronary artery disease (CAD) or congestive heart failure (CHF).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether DM independently contributes to ventricular arrhythmias, irrespective of CAD or CHF.
  • To evaluate the association between DM and ventricular fibrillation (VF).

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a large database from Veterans Health Administration Hospitals.
  • Stratified patients into two groups: those with DM (n=293,124) and a control group with hypertension but no DM (n=552,623).
  • Analyzed the occurrence of ventricular fibrillation using ICD-9 codes and performed uni- and multivariant analyses, adjusting for comorbid conditions.

Main Results:

  • Ventricular fibrillation was observed in 0.2% of patients with DM compared to 0.1% in the control group.
  • Multivariate analysis confirmed that DM is independently associated with ventricular fibrillation (Odds Ratio: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.5-1.9; P < 0.000).

Conclusions:

  • Diabetes mellitus is associated with a significantly higher prevalence of ventricular fibrillation, independent of CAD or CHF.
  • This independent association may contribute to the elevated risk of sudden cardiac death observed in patients with DM.

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