Diabetes associated with much higher risk of sudden cardiac death
Patients with diabetes face a significantly higher risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), according to a new study of nearly 7,000 patients published in European Heart Journal.[1]
The relationship was seen in patients with both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. In addition, researchers noted, the risks were the highest for younger patients.
“Individuals with diabetes experience both fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events at younger ages compared with the general population,” wrote first author Tobias Skjelbred, MD, a researcher with Copenhagen University Hospital, and colleagues. “The reduction in life expectancy can be quantified as life-years lost, with a significant proportion attributable to cardiovascular disease. However, the specific number of life-years lost that can be attributed to SCD among individuals with diabetes is unknown.”
Skjelbred et al. explored data from nearly 7,000 Danish patients who experienced SCD, including nearly 100 diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and nearly 1,200 diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Overall, the risk of SCD was 3.7 times higher for patients with type 1 diabetes than patients without type 1 diabetes. Meanwhile, the risk of SCD was 6.5 times higher for patients with type 2 diabetes than patients without type 2 diabetes.
The risk differences are the most significant in younger patients, decreasing gradually as patients get older. In addition, when calculating life-years lost, the average life expectancy of a 30-year-old patient with type 1 diabetes was 14.2 years shorter. For a 30-year-old patient with type 2 diabetes, the average life expectancy was 7.9 years shorter.
“In recent years, there has been increased focus on the interactions between diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and cardiovascular disease is an important driver of mortality among patients with diabetes,” the authors wrote. “Our findings add to the existing data on this topic showing that individuals with diabetes are at increased risk of SCD”
The group also explored potential reasons for these close associations between diabetes and SCD.
“Most often, the link between diabetes and SCD will be related to the presence of underlying ischemic heart disease,” they write. “Furthermore, patients with diabetes are also predisposed to developing heart failure, atrial fibrillation and stroke.”
Patients with diabetes may also face an increased SCD risk due to underlying renal disease or cardiac autonomic neuropathy, the group added. More research is still needed to confirm the specific mechanisms at work in these individuals.
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Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.