Study finds increased risk of cardiovascular disease with poor diabetes care

Blood glucose control is the central imperative to effective treatment of type 1 diabetes, and according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine, patients with the disease who have poor blood sugar control may be at risk for more serious complications than previously thought.

Research procedures
Led by Helen Colhoun, MD, from the University of Dundee, the study followed over 20,000 Scottish patients above the age of 20 between 2005 and 2007. Findings showed that type 1 diabetes patients are two to three times more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes or premature death than those without the disease.

While the chance of first-time heart attack was 2.5 times higher for men and 3.2 times higher for women, death rates were about equal, at 2.6 and 2.7 times higher, respectively. For those between 60 and 69, the study found a 2 to 3 percent higher risk of death.

Participants had particularly poor blood glucose control in the Scottish study, with only 13 percent achieving optimal control on the HbA1c scale, a test measuring blood glucose over three months. The study noted that when compared to the average population, however, participants had normal levels of smoking and obesity, the primary risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Risk management
Researchers concluded that risk factor management must improve to reduce the risk of CVD and improve blood glucose control. Blood pressure and cholesterol care can also lower risk of CVD and premature death for type 1 diabetes patients, the study added.

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According to recent studies from the University of Washington and the University of Michigan, people with type 1 diabetes are also more likely to be diagnosed with kidney disease and nerve conditions. All three studies agree that more aggressive control over blood sugar levels is needed to ward off complications related to type 1 diabetes.