Silent myocardial ischemia in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without previous histories of cardiovascular disease

Abstract Background The number of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) continues to increase all over the world. Cardiovascular disease (CVD), especially coronary artery disease (CAD), is a major cause of the morbidity and mortality in patients with T2DM. The prognosis of patients with silent myocardial ischemia (SMI) is worse than that in those without. Methods and results Thus, to assess how many patients with SMI existed among those patients, CVD screening tests were performed in 128 asymptomatic patients with T2DM without previous histories of CVD. SMI could be detected in 24 patients (19%) by exercise stress tests and/or the coronary fractional flow reserve. Their 12-lead electrocardiogram and cardiac ultrasonography were both normal. Compared to those without SMI, those with had a statistically significant longer history of T2DM (17 ± 1 versus 11 ± 1 years, p = 0.006), and the co-existence of a family history of CVD (42% versus 21%, p = 0.037). Furthermore, these factors were demonstrated as independent risk factors of SMI by a multivariate analysis (Odds ratio 1.060 and 4.000, respectively), and in accordance with the disease duration of T2DM, the prevalence of patients with SMI has been increasing (p = 0.019). Conclusions Physicians should be aware of these conditions when examining patients with T2DM, especially with a family history of CVD and/or long disease duration (> 11 years) of T2DM, even though they have no symptoms, previous histories of CVDs, and/or abnormal findings on the 12-lead electrocardiogram and cardiac ultrasonography. This may be an effective, safe, and attractive diagnostic strategy for those asymptomatic patients with T2DM.