It’s lengthy been recognized that having kind 1 diabetes will increase the chance of coronary heart illness in each ladies and men. However ladies with kind 1 diabetes have a novel issue to take care of — menopause — that’s been proven to trigger a further improve in coronary heart threat.
So it’s solely logical to need to understand how two established coronary heart illness threat components — having kind 1 diabetes, and going by menopause — may work together with each other. A current research, revealed within the journal Diabetes Care, was designed to just do that — and the outcomes present simply how essential it’s for ladies with kind 1 diabetes, particularly, to concentrate to their coronary heart well being.
Within the research, researchers checked out coronary artery calcification — a threat issue for coronary heart illness — in 311 ladies with kind 1 diabetes and 325 ladies with out it, earlier than and after going by menopause. Members attended as much as 4 research appointments over 18 years wherein they acquired computed tomography (CT) scans of their coronary arteries.
As is likely to be anticipated, the amount of coronary artery calcification was larger in ladies with kind 1 diabetes even initially of the research. However the research’s key discovering was that girls with kind 1 diabetes had considerably larger volumes of calcification after menopause than earlier than, whereas in ladies with out diabetes, menopause had no general impact on calcification quantity. This elevated calcification in ladies with kind 1 diabetes was nonetheless seen after the researchers adjusted for different recognized coronary heart illness threat components.
Due largely to variations in artery calcification, ladies with kind 1 diabetes additionally noticed a rise in a calculated rating meant to foretell general coronary heart illness threat, referred to as an atherosclerotic CVD rating. Earlier than menopause, this quantity was 1.3% in ladies with out diabetes and 1.5% in ladies with diabetes, whereas after menopause it was 1.7% in ladies with out diabetes and a pair of.7% in these with kind 1 diabetes.
The researchers famous that it’s unclear why menopause seems to extend artery calcification in ladies with kind 1 diabetes, however not in different ladies — a subject that additional research may make clear, doubtlessly resulting in remedy suggestions to deal with this threat. However within the meantime, this discovering signifies that whereas screening for coronary heart illness threat components is essential in all individuals with kind 1 diabetes, it’s particularly essential in postmenopausal ladies.
Quinn Phillips
A contract well being author and editor based mostly in Wisconsin, Phillips has a level in authorities from Harvard College. He writes on quite a lot of matters, however is very within the intersection of well being and public coverage.
