[acb-diabetics] The heart of the matter

[Patricia LaFrance-Wolf]

The Heart of the Matter: Women with Diabetes are More at Risk

Kristin Lund

Oct 21, 2009 

 

A large Kaiser Permanente study, published this month in Diabetes Care, has
found that women with diabetes are 26 percent more likely to develop the
very

rapid and irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation (AF) than women
without diabetes. Although not a killer on its own, AF is a serious
condition

that requires medical treatment and can cause complications. In addition to
fatigue, the poor circulation that results from AF can lead to blood pooling

and clotting, ultimately causing a stroke.

 

The seven-year Kaiser Permanente study used an unprecedented number of
patients (almost 35,000 patients, half with diabetes and half without) and
was controlled

for factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and age. The researchers
found that although men with diabetes are also at higher risk of AF than
those

without diabetes, the link between AF and diabetes is not as profound as it
is in women. The study's lead investigator, Greg Nichols, PhD, said in a
press

release that "obesity and high blood pressure are still the bigger risk
factors for men with diabetes."

 

Nearly 2.2 million people in the United States have AF, and many more go
undiagnosed. The study authors pointed out that given the prevalence of AF
and

the rising numbers of people with diabetes, close attention should be paid
to the link between the two conditions, especially in women. If more studies

demonstrate a gender difference in the disease, perhaps one day men and
women with diabetes will be treated differently by healthcare providers.

 

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