10-Year Cardiovascular Risk in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Contemporary data on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is needed to guide appropriate preventive management.

The authors sought to investigate sex- and age-specific 10-year CVD risk in patients with newly diagnosed T2DM compared with the general population.

A cohort study was conducted of all Danish patients with T2DM diagnosed between 2006 and 2013 (n = 142,587) and sex- and age-matched individuals from the general population (n = 388,410), all without prior atherosclerotic CVD. Ten-year CVD risk (myocardial infarction, stroke, and fatal CVD) was estimated.

A total of 52,471 CVD events were recorded. Compared with the general population, the 10-year CVD risks were higher in patients with T2DM in both sexes and across all age groups, especially among younger individuals. For example, patients aged 40 to 49 years had the largest 10-year CVD risk difference (T2DM 6.1% vs general population 3.3%; risk difference: 2.8%, subdistribution HR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.76-2.07). The age when a given CVD risk was reached differed substantially between the cohorts. Thus, a 10-year CVD risk of 5% was reached at age 43 in men with T2DM compared with 12 years later, at age 55, in men without T2DM. A 10-year CVD risk of 5% was reached at age 51 in women with T2DM and 10 years later, at age 61, in women without T2DM.

Newly diagnosed T2DM increased 10-year CVD risk across both sexes and all age groups, especially among younger patients, with CVD occurring ≤12 years earlier than in general population individuals.