Results from a large international trial have shown that there is a strong link between diabetics who have an abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) and an increased risk of other heart-related problems and death.
Patients with Type 2 diabetes, who had atrial fibrillation (AF) at the start of the trial, had a 61% increased risk of dying from any cause, a 77% increased risk of dying from cardiovascular causes such as a heart attack or stroke, and a 68% increased risk of developing heart failure or other cerebrovascular problems such as stroke, when compared with diabetic patients who did not have AF. However, the study also found that if clinicians gave more aggressive treatments to the diabetic AF patients – in this study they treated them with a combination blood pressure lowering drugs, (perindopril and indapamide) – the risk of dying or developing any of these complications was reduced. The findings were published in the March issue of European Heart Journal.
