Electrocardiographic Abnormalities in Individuals With Long-Duration Type 1 Diabetes

Individuals with diabetes are more likely to experience cardiovascular morbidity and mortality than those without diabetes (1–4). We sought to investigate prevalence relationships of electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities and risk indicators that might be intervened upon in people with long-duration type 1 diabetes. The study was population based. It consisted of survivors of a cohort (identified in 1979–1980) who were diagnosed with diabetes before 30 years of age, taking insulin, and receiving care in 11 counties in Wisconsin (5). The institutional review board approved the study, which conformed to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained. Participants have been seen every 4–6 years for examinations (6) and are contacted annually. At the 2000–2001 examination, the following measures were added: waist and hip circumference; sitting (7), standing, and supine blood pressures; peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) (8); and ECG. Standard fundus photographs were omitted from the 2000–2001 examination. Blood was obtained for measurement of LDL (9) and HDL (10) cholesterol and serum triglycerides (11), fasting blood glucose (12), and GHb (13). A standard medical history …