A new study from Spain, published in Diabetes Therapy, indicates that patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who have lower blood sugar levels may face a reduced risk of having their first heart attack or stroke. It was a post hoc analysis of the REPRESENT study, which aimed to investigate how various factors, particularly blood sugar control, influence the risk of serious heart and brain events in individuals with T2D.
Researchers analyzed medical records from the IQVIA database, tracking patients over a median period of 7 years. They used standard statistical methods to measure how likely people were to experience their first myocardial infarction (MI, or heart attack) or stroke, based on factors such as age, gender, prior heart disease, and HbA1c — a long-term measure of blood sugar levels.
Among individuals with no history of heart attack or stroke at the start, the annual rate of first heart attacks was 0.31 per 100 people, and 0.18 per 100 people for first strokes. People who had baseline HbA1c levels below 6.5% were significantly less likely to have a heart attack (hazard ratio [HR] 0.76) or stroke (HR 0.74) compared to those with higher HbA1c levels.
The other risk factors that enhanced the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke were being male, aged 50 or older, and having a history of cardiovascular disease (other than a previous heart attack or stroke).