Diabetes Linked with Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Diabetes is a "strong" risk factor for sudden cardiac death, with the risk increasing with the severity of the disease, according to a study published in the European Heart Journal.

"The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in industrialized countries is rapidly increasing, and diabetes is suspected to carry a particularly high risk for sudden cardiac death," Dr. Xavier Jouven, of Universite Paris-5, France, and colleagues write.

The researchers examined the association between blood sugar level, diabetes and the risk of sudden cardiac death among individuals enrolled in the Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound. The study included 2,040 subjects who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest between 1980 and 1994. They were compared with 3,800 control subjects, derived from a random sample of enrollees.

The researchers classified the subjects as having no diabetes, borderline diabetes, diabetes without disease of the small blood vessels, and diabetes with disease of the small blood vessels.

After accounting for potential contributing factors, the team found a progressively higher risk of sudden cardiac death associated with borderline diabetes (24 percent), diabetes without disease of the small blood vessels (73 percent), and diabetes with disease of the small blood vessels (266 percent) compared with no diabetes.

The relationship between diabetes and sudden cardiac death may involve heart disease, atherosclerosis or a combination of processes, Jouven's team suggests. High blood sugar levels can promote disease of the small blood vessels without causing symptoms, they note, which might contribute to sudden cardiac death risk.

SOURCE: European Heart Journal, October 2005.