HbA1c screening for new onset diabetes following acute coronary syndrome: is it a worthwhile test in clinical practice?

Hyperglycemia newly detected by glycated hemoglobin affects all-cause mortality in coronary artery disease patients: a retrospective cohort study

AIMS

We aim to assess the relationship between hyperglycemia and long-term prognosis in CAD patients without known diabetes.

METHODS

In this retrospective observational study, we enrolled 11,384 CAD patients without known diabetes. Newly detected diabetes was defined as HbA1c ≥ 6.5 %, and prediabetes was defined as HbA1c ranging from 5.7 to 6.4 %.The association between hyperglycemia and long-term all-cause mortality was examined using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.

RESULTS

According to HbA1c level, 8207 (72.1 %) patients had hyperglycemia, including 13.0 % with diabetes and 59.1 % with prediabetes. During a median follow-up of 4.9 years, 1157(10.2 %) patients died. Compared with normoglycemia, hyperglycemia was associated with increased risk for long-term mortality (adjusted hazard ratio for diabetes and prediabetes: 1.23 [95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.00 to 1.51] and 1.17 [95 % CI: 1.01 to 1.36], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Hyperglycemia detected by HbA1c was common in CAD patients without known diabetes and was associated with increased long-term mortality. It is necessary to routinely use HbA1c to assess glucose metabolic status in CAD patients and treat hyperglycemia as early as possible to reduce the risk of adverse outcomes.

HbA1c Screening for Diabetes in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Worthwhile Test or a Pitfall?

Background: Diagnostic concordance between HbA1c and other glucose-based tests is imperfect, and data on this problem in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are still lacking. The aim of this study was to identify undiagnosed glucose abnormalities in ACS patients, and to compare the effectiveness and consistency of the diagnostic screening based on HbA1c to the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Methods: The study group consisted of 121 ACS patients, mean age 62.3 ± 11.6 years, without known glucose abnormalities. HbA1c, admission and fasting plasma glucose in the first days of hospitalization were assessed and referred to the results of OGTT performed two weeks after discharge. Results: OGTT identified normoglycemia in 45%, pre-diabetes in 39.4%, and diabetes in 15.6%, while HbA1c revealed these categories in 39.7%, 51.2%, and 9.1%, respectively. With an HbA1c cut-off ≥6.5% (48 mmol/mol) diagnostic for diabetes, the sensitivity of the method was 41%, while specificity was 98%, compared to the OGTT. The optimal HbA1c cut-off value at the crossing of sensitivity and specificity curves was 5.9%. The HbA1c value recommended for the diagnosis of pre-diabetes and optimal cut-off point were the same (5.7%). Conclusions: Using HbA1c without OGTT in an early but stable phase of ACS may result in a significant underdiagnosis of diabetes.

Absolute cardiovascular disease risk score and pharmacotherapy at the time of admission in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome due to coronary artery disease in a single Australian tertiary centre: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

To describe (1) absolute cardiovascular disease risk (ACVDR) scores in patients presenting to hospital with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and (2) proportions of these patients on guideline-recommended pharmacotherapy according to their ACVDR score.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Single-site tertiary centre hospital, Queensland, Australia over a 12-month period.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients >18 years of age presenting to hospital with ACS due to coronary artery disease (CAD) confirmed by angiography.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

Proportion of patients without prior history of CVD with a high ACVDR score, and of patients with a prior history of CVD, who are on guideline-recommended pharmacotherapy.

RESULTS

527 ACS patients were included of whom the mean age was 63 years and 75% were male. Overall, 66% (350) had no prior CVD and 34% (177) patients had prior CVD.In patients with no prior CVD, the proportions of patients with low, intermediate and high CVD risk scores were 41%, 24% and 36%. In the no prior CVD, high-risk patient group, 48% were on no preventative pharmacotherapy, 32% on single pharmacotherapy and 20% patients on complete guideline-recommended pharmacotherapy. In the prior CVD group, 7% patients were on no pharmacotherapy, 40% on incomplete pharmacotherapy and 53% were on complete guideline-recommended pharmacotherapy.

CONCLUSION

This study adds to the evidence on implementation gaps in guideline-recommended management of ACVDR, showing that a large proportion of patients presenting with ACS due to CAD were at high risk of developing CVD prior to the event and most were not on guideline-recommended treatment. A significant proportion of these events are likely to have been preventable, and therefore, increased assessment and appropriate treatment of ACVDR in primary care is needed to reduce the incidence of CVD events in the population.

Newly diagnosed diabetes and outcomes after acute myocardial infarction in young adults

Objective

To examine prevalence and characteristics of newly diagnosed diabetes (NDD) in younger adults hospitalised with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and investigate whether NDD is associated with health status and clinical outcomes over 12-month post-AMI.

Methods

In individuals (18–55 years) admitted with AMI, without established diabetes, we defined NDD as (1) baseline or 1-month HbA1c≥6.5%; (2) discharge diabetes diagnosis or (3) diabetes medication initiation within 1 month. We compared baseline characteristics of NDD, established diabetes and no diabetes, and their associations with baseline, 1-month and 12-month health status (angina-specific and non-disease specific), mortality and in-hospital complications.

Results

Among 3501 patients in Variation in Recovery: Role of Gender on Outcomes of Young AMI Patients study, 14.5% met NDD criteria. Among 508 patients with NDD, 35 (6.9%) received discharge diagnosis, 91 (17.9%) received discharge diabetes education and 14 (2.8%) initiated pharmacological treatment within 1 month. NDD was more common in non-White (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.03), obese (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.39 to 2.12), financially stressed patients (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.58). Compared with established diabetes, NDD was independently associated with better disease-specific health status and quality of life (p≤0.04). No significant differences were found in unadjusted in-hospital mortality and complications between NDD and established or no diabetes.

Conclusions

NDD was common among adults≤55 years admitted with AMI and was more frequent in non-White, obese, financially stressed individuals. Under 20% of patients with NDD received discharge diagnosis or initiated discharge diabetes education or pharmacological treatment within 1 month post-AMI. NDD was not associated with increased risk of worse short-term health status compared with risk noted for established diabetes.

Trial registration number

NCT00597922.

The Impact of Glyco-Metabolic Status in Patients Treated for Acute Coronary Syndrome

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of newly diagnosed diabetes in patients with acute coronary syndrome and estimate the relationship between stress hyperglycemia, glyco-regulation and newly diagnosed diabetes with hospital morbidity and mortality.

Methods: This was an observational study which included all patients hospitalized due to acute coronary syndrome (January 2015 until April 2017) at the University Clinic of Cardiology in Skopje, Macedonia. We analyzed demographic, clinical, biochemical variables and hospital morbidity and mortality. Five investigated groups were compared using a single biochemical parameter glycated hemoglobin (HgbA1c) depending on the presence of known diabetes before the acute event: 0-without DM (HgbA1c <5.6%), 1-newly diagnosed pre-diabetes (HgbA1c 5.6-6.5%), 2-newly diagnosed diabetes (HgbA1c ≥ 6.5%), 3-known well controlled diabetes (HgbA1c <7%) and 4-known un-controlled diabetes (HgbA1c ≥7%).

Results: 860 patients were analyzed. Impaired glucose metabolism was confirmed in 35% of patients, 9% of which were with newly diagnosed diabetes. Stress hyperglycemia was reported in 27.3% (3.6% were without diabetes). The highest values of stress hyperglycemia were reported in newly diagnosed and known un-controlled diabetes. In-hospital morbidity and mortality were 15% and 5% accordingly and the rate was highest in patients with newly diagnosed and known, but un-controlled diabetes. HgbA1c, stress hyperglycemia, and poor glycemic control have emerged as significant independent predictors of hospital morbidity and mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Conclusion: High prevalence of newly diagnosed diabetes was observed in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Stress hyperglycemia and failure to achieve glycemic control are independent predictors of hospital morbidity and mortality.