Does diabetes worsen long-term morbidity and mortality in patients hospitalized for unstable angina or non-Q-wave myocardial infarction?
Diabetes is a major risk factor for long-term morbidity and mortality in patients with unstable angina or non-Q-wave MI, conferring a risk equivalent to having established cardiovascular disease.
Hospitalization for unstable angina or non-Q-wave myocardial infarction predicts a high 2-year morbidity and mortality; this is especially evident for patients with diabetes. Diabetic patients with no previous cardiovascular disease have the same long-term morbidity and mortality as nondiabetic patients with established cardiovascular disease after hospitalization for unstable coronary artery disease.
Malmberg et al. (Tue,) studied this question.