Risk of vascular disease in premenopausal women with diabetes mellitus.

Purpose: The aims of this study were (1) to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors among premenopausal and menopausal Argentinean women with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus and (2) to assess the contribution of total plaque area (TPA) to risk stratification when added to Framingham risk scores.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study in primary prevention in 1257 women (ages 19-84 years) from Argentina. TPA was measured by ultrasonography. Framingham sex-specific risk equations were used to predict the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke during the next 10 years. Patients were divided into diabetic (n = 293) and control groups (n = 964), and then each group was divided according to age (>40, 40-49, 50-59, and ≥60 years).

Findings: No difference was observed between diabetic and control groups in the incidence of smoking or the presence of early family cardiovascular event. Overall, diabetic patients had higher body mass index, blood pressure, and TPA versus the control group. The Framingham risk score was higher in the diabetic group in all age groups. The mean (SD) coronary heart disease scores for the diabetic group at <40, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, and ≥60 were 6% (1.7%), 19% (2.5%), 38% (2.0%), and 60% (1.5%), respectively, whereas the scores in the control group 3% (0.8%), 7% (0.9%), 17% (0.9%), and 40% (0.9%), respectively. The stroke score was also enhanced in diabetic women, independent of their age. These data indicate that diabetic women in the premenopausal age or the early years of menopause age (40-50 years) are at intermediate or higher risk of developing a cardiovascular event.

Implications: Premenopausal diabetic women should be considered at possibly high risk of cardiovascular events compared with nondiabetic women. Direct assessment of atherosclerotic burden, such as TPA, should be used early in this population instead of relying on traditional risk scores.