Asian Study Finds Diabetes, Heart Failure a Dangerous Duo

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Asian heart failure patients who also have type 2 diabetes can develop changes in the structure of their heart and are at increased risk for hospitalizations and premature death, a new study finds.

Diabetes is on the rise worldwide, and it's common for patients to have both diabetes and heart failure.

There has been extensive research into the combination among Western patients, but less is known about its effect on Asian people.

To learn more, an international team examined data from about 6,200 heart failure patients enrolled in the ASIAN-HF study.

The analysis found that having both type 2 diabetes and heart failure was associated with structural abnormalities in the heart; increased risk of heart-related re-hospitalizations and/or death within one year; and poorer quality of life.

More than 40% of patients studied had diabetes, with the highest rates in Singapore and Hong Kong, the investigators found.

The study was published online Aug. 21 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

"Primary prevention strategies and tailored treatment options are needed to tackle this twin scourge of diseases," study co-author Jonathan Yap said in a journal news release. He's a consultant in the department of cardiology at the National Heart Center Singapore.

"Our findings emphasize the need for preventative public health measures at the community and primary care level. For heart failure patients who have diabetes, physicians should closely monitor and optimize their management," he said.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more on heart failure.