dc.description.abstract | OBJECTIVE:
To determine the prevalence of acute coronary syndromes among type 2 diabetic patients presenting to Accident and Emergency department.
DESIGN:
Prospective cross-sectional study.
SETTING:
Kenyatta National Hospital, a tertiary teaching and referral hospital.
SUBJECTS:
Type 2 diabetic patients with ischaemic electrocardiograms (ECG).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Demographics, clinical symptoms, cardiovascular status and risk factors--central obesity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, smoking.
RESULTS:
From 12,307 accident and emergency attendees, 400 (33%) diabetics aged > OR =30 years were screened with a resting ECG and 95 (24%) with ischaemic ECG were recruited; age range 41-87 years, 60% were male; diabetes duration ranged 0-30 years with 8.4% being newly diagnosed. The commonest enrolling ECG feature was nonspecific ST-T changes. The commonest presenting complaint were fatigue and dyspnoea. Majority had three coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors: obesity 86%, elevated LDL 73% and hypertension 60%. Therapy in use was OHA 43%, insulin 42%, insulin and OHA 1%; prophylactic aspirin 14.7% and statins 8.4%. Thirty four (35.8%) were classified as acute coronary syndrome (ACS); 29 (30.5%) acute myocardial infarction (ACS-AMI) and five (5.2%) unstable angina (ACS-UA). Majority (79.4%) of the ACS presented more than six hours after symptom onset and majority had features of acute left ventricular failure.
CONCLUSIONS:
Acute coronary syndrome accounted for 35% of the morbidity in type 2 diabetics with ischaemic ECG's presenting to KNH accident and emergency department; patients presented late and 80% were not on CAD prophylactic therapy. | en |