[Cardiovascular disease prevalence in recent diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients]

To determine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Retrospective observational study in an urban primary health care centre between 1991 and 2000. Review of clinical patient characteristics, cardiovascular disease and risk factors, in the year of diabetes diagnosis. Patients without any glycaemia recorded before diagnostic were excluded. Logistic regression was done to identify the variables associated to cardiovascular events.

From 598 cases of diabetes diagnosed, 487 with previous glycaemia were included for the analysis (mean age [SD], 60.4 [10.9]; 53% women). The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was: obesity 61.1%, hypertension 71.9%, hypercholesterolemia 52%, hypertriglyceridemia 35.3% and present or previous smoking habit (24 and 16,6%). 96.9% of them presented at least one of the studied cardiovascular risk factors and 53.4% three or more. 78 patients (16%; CI95%: 12.8-19.3) had cardiovascular disease before or during the first year of diagnosis (men 21.4% and women 11.2%). The prevalence of cardiovascular disease increased progressively with the number of cardiovascular risk factors. The significant predictive variables of cardiovascular disease (logistic regression) were: age 55 years (OR = 2.91; CI95%: 1.46-5.80), smoking habit (OR = 2.28; CI95%: 1.15-4.51) and HbA1c 7% (OR = 1.8; CI95%: 1.1-3.1).

A high prevalence of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors at diabetes diagnosis was observed. Age, smoking habit and elevated glycated haemoglobin were the variables related to cardiovascular disease.