Increased risk of cardiovascular disease in newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic patients in a primary health care center in Trinidad

• Published in: Diabetes research and clinical practice Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 137 - 145
• Main Authors: Ezenwaka, C.E., Davis, G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.10.2000; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: African Continental Ancestry Group; Analysis. Health state; Associated diseases and complications; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Glucose - analysis; Blood Pressure; Cardiovascular disease; Cardiovascular Diseases - epidemiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - mortality; Community Health Centers; Diabetes Mellitus - epidemiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - physiopathology; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Diabetic Angiopathies - epidemiology; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Epidemiology; Ethnic Groups; European Continental Ancestry Group; Female; General aspects; Glycated Hemoglobin A - analysis; Humans; Hypercholesterolemia - epidemiology; Hypertension - epidemiology; Hypertriglyceridemia - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Morbidity; Obesity; Prevalence; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Risk Factors; Sex Characteristics; Trinidad and Tobago - epidemiology; Tropical medicine; Type 2 diabetes; Central America; America; West Indies; Type 2 diabetes; Cardiovascular disease; Prevalence; Endocrinopathy; Human; Risk factor; Adult; Non insulin dependent diabetes; Epidemiology
• ISSN: 0168-8227; 1872-8227
• DOI: 10.1016/S0168-8227(00)00165-0

The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) has increased sharply in the developing countries and because Type 2 diabetic patients are at increased risk for CVD, we assessed CVD risk factors in newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic patients presenting in a primary health care center in Trinidad. Fasting and 2 h postprandial blood samples were collected from 387 (269 females, 118 males) newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetic patients (mean age: 53.1±6.6 years) for the determination of plasma glucose, creatinine, cholesterol (chol), triglyceride (TG) and % glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c) concentrations. Blood pressure and anthropometric indices were also measured. There were high prevalence rates of obesity (37%), overweight (35%), hypertension (21%), hypercholesterolemia (25%) and hypertriglyceridemia (22.3%) among the patients and these were significantly higher in women than men ( P<0.001). Patients of Indian descent had a significantly higher prevalence of diastolic hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia compared with patients of African origin or mixed race ( P<0.001). In comparison with males, female diabetic patients were at greater risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Early detection of CVD risk factors and treatment, particularly in women, may be beneficial management strategy in all local diabetic clinics in Trinidad.