Background: Diabetes and dysglycemia have a high prevalence in Iranian population but the information about their impact on the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is scarce in this population. This study aimed to determine the risk of CVD according to glucose tolerance status.
Methods: We ascertained cases with incident CVD in a population of 1752 men and 2273 women, 40 years old and over and free of CVD at the beginning of study, during a follow up with a median of 7.6 years. To calculate hazard ratio (HR) for CVD, we controlled traditional risk factors, including age, body mass index, waist, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, education, smoking, hypertension medication, lipid lowering medication and family history of premature CVD and diabetes.
Results: Cardiovascular events occurred in 197 men and 143 women. Its incidence density was 11.8 per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval: 10.6 to 13.1) totally. Multiple adjusted HR in women with known diabetes was 3.88 (95%CI: 2.40 to 6.27) and with newly diagnosed was 2.34 (95%CI: 1.39 to 3.95) and the corresponding values for men were 1.72 (95%CI: 1.00- 2.95) and 1.52 (95%CI: 1.01- 2.31) respectively. Impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance increased 56% the risk of CVD in women (HR: 1.56 with 95% CI, 1.00 to 2.45), just in the age adjusted model.
Conclusion: All diabetic patients should receive primary prevention for CVD intensively, regardless of whether they are newly diagnosed or are known cases; specially, females who have abnormal glucose metabolism.