A prospective cohort study investigating the association between type 2 diabetes and subsequent cardiovascular events in patients with different blood pressure, HbA1c, and lipid levels.

Background: Globally, there has been a steady increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, and the risk of cardiovascular disease has increased. The relationship between diabetes and the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) at different blood pressure, glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and lipid levels remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate these associations within a population-based cohort.

Material and methods: We analysed data from the Guiyang subcentre of the China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study, which enrolled participants aged 40 years and older between 2011 and 2012. Subsequently, a follow-up visit was conducted during 2014-2016 to assess incident CVD events.

Results: The analysis included a cohort of 7197 adults, of whom 590 were diagnosed with diabetes. Among all the participants, the CVD events linked to diabetes had a multivariable adjusted hazard ratio of 2.37 [95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.38-4.08]. Patients with diabetes had a greater risk of experiencing CVD events if they had high blood pressure [hazard ratios (HR): 1.24, 95% CI: 1.39-4.21] and high lipid levels (HR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.29-3.70) compared to people with normal blood pressure (HR: 1.23, 95% CI: 0.54-2.82) and lipid levels (HR: 1.26, 95% CI: 0.47-3.41).

Conclusions: Our analysis revealed a significant association between diabetes and an increased risk of subsequent CVD events, which can be mitigated through optimal management of the metabolic profile of cardiovascular risk factors.