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By Andrea Hughes, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Diabetes can increase the risk of death for heart failure patients. This risk is much higher in women than in men, especially for women older than 65 who had the worst outcomes in a new study.
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Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham examined 2,056 heart failure patients with diabetes and compared results to the same number of heart failure patients who were not diabetic. Based on their findings, the researchers suggest patients with heart failure should be thoroughly tested for diabetes. If diabetes is present, patients should be intensively managed based on current guidelines. Researchers add additional research needs to be done to develop new guidelines to reduce effects of diabetes in heart failure.
Although many women may not believe they are at risk for heart disease, women are actually more likely to die from heart disease than cancer. Researchers writing in this week's British Medical Journal are debating whether more women need to be on cholesterol-lowering drugs, called statins. It is a general belief that anyone with a moderate to high risk of developing cardiovascular disease should be on medication to lower that risk.
Cardiologist Muhammed Yasin, M.D., of Southwest Cardiologist Associates in Oklahoma City, says some women, however, need to be careful when taking statins. Dr. Yasin told Ivanhoe, "The problem is that women with very low body mass need to be careful. They have to be put on small doses when on statins because there are more incidents of muscle problems with small women and high doses of statins."
Dr. Yasin also says, "Men are still more likely to get heart disease, but ladies are catching up when they get older."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Cardiologist Muhammad Yasin, M.D.; Heart, published online May 8, 2007; British Medical Journal 2007; 334:982
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