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Diabetes Increasingly Linked to Cardiovascular DiseaseWhat is the problem and what is known about it so far?The number of people affected by cardiovascular disease (disease of the heart and blood vessels) has substantially dropped over the past few years. But less is known about changes in the link between cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which is known to make cardiovascular disease more likely Why did the researchers do this particular study?The researchers wanted to measure whether the proportion of cardiovascular disease linked to diabetes has changed in recent years. Who was studied?The study included participants in the Framingham Heart Study, a long-term research project conducted in Framingham, Massachusetts. How was the study done?Two groups of participants representing different time periods were studied. One group had been recruited and examined during the “early period” from 1952 to 1974. The other group was from the “later period” and was examined between 1975 and 1998. There were 181 people with diabetes and 4,418 people without the disorder from the early time period, and 351 people with diabetes and 4,590 people without the disorder from the late time period. What did the researchers find?During the early time period, diabetes was linked to about 5.4% of the cases of cardiovascular disease. This increased to 8.7% during the later time period. Diabetes is responsible for a growing proportion of cardiovascular disease. What were the limitations of the study?The population included in the study was mainly white, which may not reflect a more diverse group of people. There were some changes to how diabetes was defined and diagnosed between the early and late time periods, which could affect the results. Some factors linked to cardiovascular disease were not studied, such as high cholesterol levels. What are the implications of the study?Reducing the toll of cardiovascular disease should include strategies to address diabetes as well. |
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