Cardiovascular disease affected approximately 6 million diabetic adults aged 35 years and older in the United States in 2005, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Reseachers at the CDC analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey on the prevalence of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases among persons with diabetes during 1997–2005. In that period, the age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in the United States increased 43%, from 3.7% in 1997 to 5.3% in 2005, according to the report (MMWR 2007;56:1129–32).
During 1997–2005, the annual number of survey respondents aged 35 and older who reported having both diabetes and CVD ranged from approximately 3,700 to 6,800 (out of a total of 31,000–36,000). Although the prevalence of individuals with both disorders did increase overall by 36% during the study period, the age-adjusted overall prevalence actually decreased by 11%, from 37% to 32.5%. The drop indicates that the number of people diagnosed with diabetes during that time exceeded the number with both diabetes and CVD, the report explained.
Broken down by age group, the age-specific prevalence of self-reported CVD among those aged 35–64 years with diabetes decreased by 14%, from 31% in 1997 to 27% in 2005, while the prevalence did not change significantly over time in older groups (from 46% to 51% in individuals aged 65–74 and from 53%–57% among those aged 75 and older).
Overall during the study period, the age-adjusted prevalence of CVD was higher among men than women, higher among whites than blacks, and higher among non-Hispanics than Hispanics. The age-adjusted prevalence decreased significantly in women (by 11%) but not in men, and in blacks (by 25%) but not in whites. It also decreased significantly among non-Hispanics (by 12%), while there was no clear trend among Hispanics, according to the CDC.
The decrease in self-reported CVD prevalence among diagnosed diabetic patients may relate to the fact that the median duration of diabetes has declined significantly overall. Also, decreases in risk factors such as total cholesterol level, blood pressure, and smoking may contribute, along with the increased use of preventive medications such as statins and aspirin, the report noted.