The risk of fatal heart attacks is greatly increased in diabetes

Diabetics are particularly at risk from heart attacks
When people have diabetes, their overall health also suffers from the disease. So other health risks can be added. Researchers have now found that people with diabetes are about 50 percent more at risk of heart failure.

Scientists from the University of Leeds, UK, have now discovered in an investigation that diabetics are about 50 percent more likely to die as a result of a heart attack compared to people without the condition. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health".

Diabetes dramatically increases the risk of a heart attack with a death toll. Physicians are now developing new ways to prevent heart attacks more effectively. (Image: hriana / fotolia.com)

Study examined 700,000 people
The study of researchers from the United Kingdom examined about 700,000 people. Among them were also 121,000 subjects with diabetes, who were hospitalized between 2003 and 2013 with a heart attack in a hospital, say the experts. After considering the effects of age, gender, prevalent diseases and other factors, researchers found a dramatic difference in survival after a heart attack.

Diabetics die more frequently from heart attacks
Patients with diabetes have now been found to have an up to 56 percent chance of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) or heart attack (a complete block of the coronary artery). Diabetics were more likely to die 39 percent if they had an NSTEMI infarct (which partially blocked the artery) compared to otherwise healthy people, the physicians explain.

Diabetes leads to more heart attacks with fatal consequences
These findings provide robust evidence that diabetes is a significant long-term burden on the population. The disease means that more people suffer a heart attack and then die from it, says researcher Chris Gale from the University of Leeds. Even though more people today than ever have a heart attack, we still need to focus more on the long-term effects of diabetes in heart attacks, the expert adds.

Specialists have to work together better in the future
Collaboration between cardiologists and endocrinologists needs to be improved, researchers say. Only in this way can it be ensured that patients with an increased risk always get the best and most effective drugs, explain the scientists. Doctors already knew that people rarely survive a heart attack when they have diabetes. However, it was not clear if this observation was due to diabetes or if other conditions increase the risk, the authors explain.

Results lead to new prevention and treatment methods
The results of the new study are the first to show the negative effects of diabetes on survival after a heart attack. The study highlights the need to find new ways to prevent coronary heart disease in people with diabetes, explain the physicians. This could improve the development of new treatments for survival after a heart attack. There have been other studies that have developed a method to predict heritable infarction through a simple blood test. (As)