Prediabetes and short-term outcomes in nondiabetic patients after acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction

A prediabetic state is defined as the time period before the development of symptomatic diabetes. Limited evidence is available for evaluating the correlation between prediabetes and short-term outcomes in nondiabetic patients with ST-elevation of myocardial infarction (STEMI).

4,787 nondiabetic patients with a diagnosis of STEMI based on typical onset of chest pain within 12 h were enrolled. Patients were followed up for 7 and 30 days after hospital admission. According to the 2013 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, the study population was stratified into three groups: normal, prediabetic and newly diagnosed diabetic patients. The primary outcomes of our study were all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) on days 7 day and 30.

The proportions of patients with prediabetes and newly diagnosed diabetes were 31.1 and 19.2%, respectively. Rates of 7- and 30-day mortality and MACE were similar among the different HbA1c groups. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that compared with normal glucose metabolism, prediabetes (hazard ratio, HR, 1.003; 95% CI, 0.865-1.165) and newly diagnosed diabetes (HR, 0.887; 95% CI, 0.739-1.064) were not correlated with 30-day MACE. However, admission glucose was an independent predictor of short-term MACE (HR, 1.031; 95% CI, 1.017-1.046).

In nondiabetic patients after STEMI, the incidence of latent diabetes mellitus was increased. Newly diagnosed diabetes and prediabetes were not correlated with short-term outcome in nondiabetic patients with STEMI, yet admission glucose level was an independent predictor of short-term MACE. To reduce the incidence of short-term MACE after STEMI, more attention should be paid to the control of increased glucose levels and intrinsic stress states.