Elevated risk of death and major cardiovascular events in subjects with newly diagnosed diabetes: Findings from an administrative database

Aims: To investigate the incidence of major cardiovascular complications and mortality in the first years of follow-up in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes. Methods and results: We examined incidence rates of hospitalization for cardiovascular reasons and death among new patients with diabetes using the administrative health database of the nine million inhabitants of Lombardy followed from 2002 to 2007. Age and sex-adjusted rates were calculated and hazard ratios (HR) were estimated with a matched population without diabetes of the same sex, age (±1 year) and general practitioner.There were 158,426 patients with newly diagnosed diabetes and 314,115 subjects without diabetes. Mean follow-up was 33.0 months (SD ± 17.5). 9.7% of patients with diabetes were hospitalized for cardiovascular events vs. 5.4% of subjects without diabetes; mortality rate was higher in patients with diabetes (7.7% vs. 4.4%). The estimated probability of hospitalization during the follow up was higher in patients with diabetes than in subjects without for coronary heart disease (HR 1.4, 95% CI 1.3-1.4), cerebrovascular disease (HR 1.3.95% CI 1.2-1.3), heart failure (HR 1.4, 95% CI 1.3-1.4) as was mortality (HR 1.4, 95% CI 1.4-1.4).Younger patients with diabetes had a risk of death or hospital admission for cardio-cerebrovascular events similar to subjects without diabetes ten years older. Conclusions: The elevated morbidity and mortality risks were clear since the onset of diabetes and rose over time. These data highlight the importance of prompt and comprehensive patients care in addition to anti-diabetic therapy in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes.