Severe hypos increase the risk of heart attacks in type 2 diabetes
People with type 2 diabetes that have a history of severe hypoglycemia have a higher risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events according to the Edinburgh Type 2 Diabetes Study.
The Edinburgh Type 2 Diabetes Study aims to assess risk of a number of diabetes complications in people with type 2 diabetes. In the latest analysis, researchers assessed 1,066 adults with type 2 diabetes between the ages of 60 and 75 years old. Of these, 87 patients reported that theyd had a severe hypo within the previous year.
Severe hypos are very low blood glucose levels that require help in treatment from someone else. Severe hypos are a short term complication that only occur in people on stronger diabetes medication such as insulin, sulphonylureas and prandial glucose regulators.
The study period monitored the participants over 4 years and 99 of the total participants experienced a major macrovascular event over this time period. The research found that patients with a history of severe hypoglycemia had a 4 times higher risk of having a heart attack over the 4 years than those without a history of severe hypos. In terms of total cardiovascular events, the risk was increased by just over 2 times for …read more
Source:: News from Diabetes.co.uk