Do CAC Scores Affect Long-Term Mortality In Patients with Diabetes?

Patients with diabetes have a significantly higher mortality rate after 5 years, regardless of their coronary artery calcium (CAC) score, than patients without diabetes, according to new research.

Previous research has examined CAC prognosis in patients with diabetes for only 5 years. This is the first study to investigate the long-term effects and risks of CAC in patients with and without diabetes.
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To conduct their study, researchers followed 9715 asymptomatic patients with and without diabetes who underwent CAC scoring for about 15 years.

Patients were categorized according to their CAC score: 0, 1-99, 100-399, 400 or more. CAC score was determined by an electron-beam CT scan at baseline, and patients completed lifestyle and health questionnaires.

After the 15-year follow-up, researchers found that 12% of patients with diabetes had died and 5% of patients without diabetes had died.

Patients with and without diabetes who had a CAC of 0 had a similar mortality rate after 5 years. However, those with diabetes had a significantly higher mortality rate after 5 years regardless of their CAC score.

“CAC=0 is associated with a favorable 5-year prognosis for asymptomatic diabetic and nondiabetic individuals,” researchers concluded. “After 5 years, the risk of mortality increases significantly for diabetic individuals even in the presence of a baseline CAC=0.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Valenti V, Hartaigh BO, Cho I, et al. Absence of coronary artery calcium identifies asymptomatic diabetic individuals at low near-term but not long-term risk of mortality: A 15-year follow-up study of 9715 patients. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2016;9:e003528. doi:10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.115.003528.