2023-06-01 13:09:00
Every third adult with Typ-2-Diabetes could be suffering from an undiagnosed cardiovascular disease. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore discovered this when examining more than 10,000 blood samples. The results were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
In 33 percent of those examined, the scientists discovered two specific blood values that were elevated. For comparison: In subjects without type 2 diabetes, only 16 percent had elevated levels. These so-called biomarkers are troponin T, which occurs in the heart muscle cells, and the natriuretic hormone (NT-pro-B type), which is produced in the heart. Both biomarkers indicate heart damage, such as damage to the heart muscle or increasing pressure in the heart. However, those affected had no known heart disease when their blood sample was taken.
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Increased levels of the two biomarkers are also associated with increased mortality: According to the study, mortality due to cardiovascular disease increased by 54 percent. The general mortality was even higher by up to 78 percent.
The protein troponin T in particular caught the research group’s eye. In contrast to the natriuretic hormone, it was associated with diabetes mellitus, regardless of the age of the subjects. Troponin levels also got worse the longer people had diabetes and their blood sugar levels were not well controlled. For the scientists, the results of the study are a clear signal.
“These cardiac biomarkers give us insight into the cardiovascular risk of people who would otherwise never have been classified as most at risk,” said study co-author Elizabeth Selvin of Johns Hopkins University. So far always be Cholesterol has been the focus of doctors.
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“Typically, cholesterol is the factor that we target to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes. However, type 2 diabetes can have direct effects on the heart that don’t related to cholesterol levels,” says Selvin. If diabetes causes damage to the small vessels in the heart that has nothing to do with cholesterol deposits, “then cholesterol-lowering drugs cannot prevent heart damage”.
In such a case, the therapies would also have to be adjusted. According to Selvin, measures against high blood pressure or for the health of the small vessels could be useful.
The research group concludes from their results that the two biomarkers are well suited to better assessing the risk of heart disease in people with diabetes. In practice, this is also popular. The biomarkers could play an important role not only in risk assessment but also in prevention, says cardiologist Vijay Nambi from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
“These strategies have yet to be formally tested, but these biomarkers have consistently demonstrated their ability to identify individuals at higher risk. So, overall, routine use of these biomarkers should be seriously considered,” Nambi said with the health portal “WebMD”. As a rule, the blood values mentioned are only checked in the hospital, for patients with chest pain or shortness of breath.
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