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Value of diagnostic tools for myocardial ischemia used in routine clinical practice to predict cardiac events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a prospective study

Valor dos procedimentos diagnósticos para isquemia miocárdica usados na prática clínica de rotina para predição de eventos cardíacos em pacientes com diabetes mellitus tipo 2: um estudo prospectivo

Abstracts

OBJECTIVE: To analyze tests used in routine clinical practice for the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia to predict the development of cardiac events in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: The occurrence of cardiac events (new myocardial infarct, myocardial re-vascularization procedures, congestive heart failure, acute pulmonary edema, sudden death, and death after myocardial infarction or pulmonary edema) were prospectively assessed in a cohort of 135 type 2 diabetic patients after up to seven years of follow-up. At baseline, coronary artery disease was assessed by the WHO cardiovascular questionnaire, resting electrocardiogram, and stress myocardial scintigraphy. RESULTS: Forty-eight cardiac events were observed in 41 patients (10.5 events/100 patients-year). In a Cox's proportional-hazard model only the presence of symptoms of coronary artery disease on the WHO cardiovascular questionnaire alone (RR= 2.13, 95% CI 1.114.07, P= 0.022) or in combination with abnormalities on resting ECG (RR= 2.03, 95% CI 1.053.92, P= 0.034) or on myocardial scintigraphy (RR= 1.89, 95% CI 1.0013.57, P= 0.050) predicted cardiac events, adjusted for fasting plasma glucose, mean blood pressure, body mass index, peripheral vascular disease and diabetic nephropathy. CONCLUSION: The WHO cardiovascular questionnaire, a simple tool for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, is a significant predictor of cardiac events in type 2 diabetic patients.

Coronary artery disease; Cardiac events; Risk factors; Type 2 diabetes


OBJETIVO: Analisar os testes usados na prática clínica de rotina para diagnóstico de isquemia miocárdica na predição do desenvolvimento de eventos cardíacos em pacientes com diabetes mellitus tipo 2 (DM2). MÉTODOS: A ocorrência de eventos cardíacos (novo infarto do miocárdio [IM], procedimentos de re-vascularização miocárdica, insuficiência cardíaca congestiva, edema agudo de pulmão, morte súbita e morte após IM ou edema pulmonar) foi avaliada prospectivamente em uma coorte de 135 pacientes com DM2 após até 7 anos de acompanhamento. Na condição basal, a doença arterial coronariana (DAC) foi avaliada pelo questionário cardiovascular da OMS, eletrocardiograma de repouso e cintilografia do miocárdio sob stress. RESULTADOS: 48 eventos cardíacos foram observados em 41 pacientes (10,5 eventos/100 pacientes-ano). No modelo de risco proporcional de Cox apenas a presença de sintomas de DAC no questionário cardiovascular da OMS isoladamente (RR= 2,13, 95% CI 1,114,07, P= 0,022) ou em combinação com anormalidades no ECG de repouso (RR= 2,03, 95% CI 1,053,92, P= 0,034) ou cintilografia do miocárdio (RR= 1,89, 95% CI 1,0013,57, P= 0,050) predisseram eventos cardíacos, ajustados para a glicemia de jejum, pressão arterial média, índice de massa corporal, doença vascular periférica e nefropatia diabética. CONCLUSÃO: O questionário cardiovascular da OMS, um procedimento simples para o diagnóstico da DAC, é um preditor significativo de eventos cardíacos em pacientes com DM2.

Doença arterial coronariana; Eventos cardíacos; Fatores de risco; Diabetes tipo 2


ARTIGO ORIGINAL

Value of diagnostic tools for myocardial ischemia used in routine clinical practice to predict cardiac events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a prospective study

Valor dos procedimentos diagnósticos para isquemia miocárdica usados na prática clínica de rotina para predição de eventos cardíacos em pacientes com diabetes mellitus tipo 2: um estudo prospectivo

Mirela J. de AzevedoI; André F.R. NetoI; Maria Luiza A. CaramoriI; Maristela O. BeckI; Juliano S.R. MoreiraI; Roberto LudwigII; Jorge L. GrossI

IEndocrine Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

IINuclear Medicine Division, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

Endereço para correspondência Endereço para correspondência: Jorge L. Gross Serviço de Endocrinologia Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2350, prédio 12, 4o. andar 90035-003 Porto Alegre, RS Fax: (51) 3316-8777 E-mail: jorgegross@terra.com.br

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To analyze tests used in routine clinical practice for the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia to predict the development of cardiac events in type 2 diabetic patients.

METHODS: The occurrence of cardiac events (new myocardial infarct, myocardial re-vascularization procedures, congestive heart failure, acute pulmonary edema, sudden death, and death after myocardial infarction or pulmonary edema) were prospectively assessed in a cohort of 135 type 2 diabetic patients after up to seven years of follow-up. At baseline, coronary artery disease was assessed by the WHO cardiovascular questionnaire, resting electrocardiogram, and stress myocardial scintigraphy.

RESULTS: Forty-eight cardiac events were observed in 41 patients (10.5 events/100 patients-year). In a Cox's proportional-hazard model only the presence of symptoms of coronary artery disease on the WHO cardiovascular questionnaire alone (RR= 2.13, 95% CI 1.11­4.07, P= 0.022) or in combination with abnormalities on resting ECG (RR= 2.03, 95% CI 1.05­3.92, P= 0.034) or on myocardial scintigraphy (RR= 1.89, 95% CI 1.001­3.57, P= 0.050) predicted cardiac events, adjusted for fasting plasma glucose, mean blood pressure, body mass index, peripheral vascular disease and diabetic nephropathy.

CONCLUSION: The WHO cardiovascular questionnaire, a simple tool for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, is a significant predictor of cardiac events in type 2 diabetic patients.

Keywords: Coronary artery disease; Cardiac events; Risk factors; Type 2 diabetes

RESUMO

OBJETIVO: Analisar os testes usados na prática clínica de rotina para diagnóstico de isquemia miocárdica na predição do desenvolvimento de eventos cardíacos em pacientes com diabetes mellitus tipo 2 (DM2).

MÉTODOS: A ocorrência de eventos cardíacos (novo infarto do miocárdio [IM], procedimentos de re-vascularização miocárdica, insuficiência cardíaca congestiva, edema agudo de pulmão, morte súbita e morte após IM ou edema pulmonar) foi avaliada prospectivamente em uma coorte de 135 pacientes com DM2 após até 7 anos de acompanhamento. Na condição basal, a doença arterial coronariana (DAC) foi avaliada pelo questionário cardiovascular da OMS, eletrocardiograma de repouso e cintilografia do miocárdio sob stress.

RESULTADOS: 48 eventos cardíacos foram observados em 41 pacientes (10,5 eventos/100 pacientes-ano). No modelo de risco proporcional de Cox apenas a presença de sintomas de DAC no questionário cardiovascular da OMS isoladamente (RR= 2,13, 95% CI 1,11­4,07, P= 0,022) ou em combinação com anormalidades no ECG de repouso (RR= 2,03, 95% CI 1,05­3,92, P= 0,034) ou cintilografia do miocárdio (RR= 1,89, 95% CI 1,001­3,57, P= 0,050) predisseram eventos cardíacos, ajustados para a glicemia de jejum, pressão arterial média, índice de massa corporal, doença vascular periférica e nefropatia diabética.

CONCLUSÃO: O questionário cardiovascular da OMS, um procedimento simples para o diagnóstico da DAC, é um preditor significativo de eventos cardíacos em pacientes com DM2.

Descritores: Doença arterial coronariana; Eventos cardíacos; Fatores de risco; Diabetes tipo 2

CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE (CAD) is the main cause of death in type 2 diabetic patients (1). The risk of macrovascular disease in patients with diabetes is greater for any given risk factor than in subjects without diabetes (2). Moreover, the risk of myocardial infarct is similar in patients with type 2 diabetes without overt evidence of CAD and non-diabetic patients with a previous myocardial infarct (3).

As in non-diabetic subjects, the diagnosis of CAD in patients with diabetes is usually based on the presence of symptoms of ischemic myocardial disease and abnormalities suggestive of ischemia or infarction on resting electrocardiogram (ECG) or non-invasive stress tests. However, diabetic patients often present peculiarities that may interfere with the performance of these diagnostic tests. About 50% of type 2 diabetic patients are unable to perform an exercise test (4), and consequently nuclear perfusion imaging or echocardiography after pharmacologically induced stress is an essential diagnostic tool for these patients. In addition, silent myocardial ischemia is more frequent in diabetic patients (5), and it has been associated with the presence of diabetic nephropathy and autonomic neuropathy (6). Other tests used to evaluate CAD are invasive (coronary angiography) or have limited availability (coronary artery calcium as detected by electron beam computed tomography). Therefore, one should have a higher degree of suspicion for CAD in patients with diabetes and the use of non-invasive tests might be appropriate for screening purposes in these patients.

Prospective studies that analyzed the role of diagnostic tools to predict cardiac events in diabetic patients (7-10) did not include commonly used information as symptoms compatible with myocardial ischemia and resting ECG. At this stage, the best non-invasive test for the evaluation of CAD in diabetic patients remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the value of non-invasive tests used for the diagnosis of CAD in the routine clinical practice to predict the development of cardiac events in patients with type 2 diabetes.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The original cohort was formed during the year of 1996, when one of the authors (MOB) performed a systematic evaluation for the presence of myocardial ischemia in consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes attending a once a week outpatient clinic of the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, a university hospital. Patients with unstable angina, myocardial infarction in the previous six months, cognitive impairment due to neurological disease, history of alcohol abuse, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and chronic use of aminophylline or dipyridamole were not eligible. Informed consent was obtained from each patient and the protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Hospital. The patients were followed at every six to 12 months, up to seven years (mean: 3.4 ± 1.4 years). The following were considered as cardiac events: new myocardial infarct (Minnesota codes 1-1 to 1-3 or 7-1 on resting ECG (11), fixed non-perfused area on myocardial scintigraphy, or episode of chest pain with compatible ECG and enzyme alterations), myocardial re-vascularization procedures, congestive heart failure (class IV of the New York Heart Association plus compatible chest X-ray), acute pulmonary edema (typical clinical manifestations and compatible chest X-ray), sudden death (death occurring within six hours from the onset of symptoms [witnessed cardiac arrest] or within 24 hours from the time the patient was last seen alive in his/her usual state [12]), and death immediately after myocardial infarction or pulmonary edema.

Missing patients were contacted and invited to attend the clinic and information about the occurrence of cardiovascular events was checked. In positive cases medical records were reviewed. Eighteen patients were lost to follow-up and therefore 135 patients where included in this study. Patients lost to follow-up did not differ from the study group regarding proportion of males, smoking habit, CAD and hypertension, body mass index (BMI), diabetes duration, and lipid profile. Systolic blood pressure was higher among them (171.0 ± 24.1 vs. 153.2 ± 25.8 mmHg; P= 0.006).

Patients evaluation

At baseline, patients were classified as smokers, if they had ever smoked, or as non-smokers. BMI was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the squared height in meters. Blood pressure was measured twice in the sitting position after 10 minutes rest with a mercury sphygmomanometer (phases I and V of Korotkoff). Hypertension was defined as blood pressure levels > 140/90 mmHg, or use of anti-hypertensive drugs. Retinopathy was assessed by fundoscopy after mydriasis. The presence of cerebrovascular disease was established if a history of stroke and/or compatible findings (sequelae) were present. Peripheral vascular disease was defined in the presence of intermittent claudication, as assessed by the WHO questionnaire for cardiovascular disease (11), and/or absence of posterior tibial pulse upon clinical examination. The diagnosis of CAD was based on the presence of at least one of the followings: angina or possible infarct according to the WHO questionnaire for cardiovascular disease (10; Appendix 1 Appendix 1 ); resting ECG abnormalities (Minnesota Codes: Q and QS patterns [1-1 to 1-3]; S-T junction [J] and segment depression [4-1 to 4-4]; T-wave items [5-1 to 5-3], and complete left bundle branch block [7-1]) (11), and perfusion abnormalities on myocardial scintigraphy at rest (fixed) or after infusion of dipyridamole (variable). The WHO cardiovascular questionnaire, resting ECG and myocardial scintigraphy were applied to all patients at baseline and during follow-up.

At baseline, the presence of any of the following were considered as cardiovascular risk factors: LDL cholesterol > 100 mg/dl, total cholesterol > 135 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol < 40 mg/dl for men and < 50 for women, triglycerides > 150 mg/dl, smoking habit, blood pressure levels > 130/80 mmHg, and diabetic nephropathy.

Methods

Urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) was measured in 24-h timed sterile urine collections by immunoturbidimetry (Microalb, Ames-Bayer, Tarrytown, NY). The presence of diabetic nephropathy, UAER > 20 µg/min or 24-h proteinuria > 500 mg, was confirmed by at least two measurements in an interval of three to six months (13). Serum levels of glucose, creatinine, triglycerides, and cholesterol were measured by routine methods. Glycated hemoglobin data were not analyzed because three different methods were used during the study period. LDL cholesterol was estimated by the Friedewald equation.

Myocardial scintigraphy was obtained after dipyridamole stress and at rest. 30 mCi of technetium-99m sestamibi were injected intravenously, 3 minutes after the intravenous infusion of dipyridamole (0.56 mg/kg body weight). At baseline, planar images (anterior, left anterior oblique, and left lateral views) were acquired 1 hour after administration of the tracer using a single detector gamma-camera (OHIO-Nuclear VP 450) with a low-energy, all-purpose collimator. Myocardial scintigraphy at rest was performed with a similar dose of the tracer 1 day after dipyridamole scintigraphy. At the end of the study, myocardial scintigraphy was performed by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), non-gated, using a single detector gamma camera (GE Starcam 2000) with a low-energy, high-resolution collimator. Images were analyzed according to segmentation in the short, long vertical and horizontal axis of the left ventricle. Segmental myocardial perfusion patterns were classified as: 1) normal pattern; 2) reversible or partially reversible segmental defects; or 3) fixed pattern. Planar and SPECT myocardial scintigraphies presented a concordance rate of 83%, as previously reported (6) in a similar sample of diabetic patients. Cardioactive medications were suspended 7 days before the scintigraphy.

Statistical analysis

Comparisons between patients with and without CAD at baseline were performed by Student's t test, Mann-Whitney U test, or chi-square test, as appropriate. Incidence density was calculated by multiplying the total number of outcomes by 100 days and dividing this result by the total number of days at risk. Kaplan-Meier curves and log rank test were used to compare the probability of cardiac events according to the presence of CAD at baseline and according to the test used at baseline (WHO cardiovascular questionnaire, resting ECG or myocardial scintigraphy, alone or in combination) to diagnose CAD. The multivariate Cox's proportional hazard model was used to estimate and compare the risk of cardiac events (dependent variable) in patients according baseline diagnostic tests for CAD, alone or in combination, adjusted for age and other cardiac risk factors. The independent variables in these models were selected based on their significance in univariate analyses or according to their biological relevance. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

During the follow-up period, 41 patients presented 48 cardiac events, with an incidence of 10.5-events/100 patients-year. The cardiac events were: 25 myocardial infarcts, four re-vascularization procedures, eight episodes of heart failure, five sudden deaths, three deaths after myocardial infarct, and three deaths after pulmonary edema. Another five patients died during the study due to stroke (one patient), prostate cancer (one patient), sepses (two patients), and car accident (one patient).

The baseline characteristics of patients with (n= 41) and without (n= 94) cardiac events at the end of the study are described in table 1. Patients with a cardiac event were older, and had higher BMI and serum creatinine levels than patients without cardiac events. They also had CAD, diabetic nephropathy, and peripheral vascular disease more often. The group with cardiac events did not differ from the group without cardiac events regarding the proportion of patients with LDL cholesterol > 100 mg/dl (75.7 vs. 81.3%; P= 0.486), total cholesterol > 135 mg/dl (92.7 vs. 98.9%; P= 0.164), HDL cholesterol < 40 mg/dl for men and < 50 for women (67.5 vs. 52.7%; P= 0.116) and triglycerides > 150 mg/dl (47.5 vs. 43.6%; P= 0.679).

CAD was present in 60 (44.4%) of all patients at baseline. The diagnosis was based on the WHO cardiovascular questionnaire alone in eight (5.9%), on resting ECG abnormalities in 13 (9.6%), and on myocardial perfusion scintigraphy in 10 (7.4%) patients. All three diagnostic tests were positive for CAD in nine (6.7%); the WHO questionnaire and the ECG in four (3.0%); the WHO questionnaire and the scintigraphy in nine (6.7%); and the ECG and the scintigraphy in seven (5.2%) patients. Two or more of the evaluated cardiovascular risk factors were identified in 123 patients (91.1%).

Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated higher rate of cardiac events in patients with CAD (27 [45.7%]) than in patients without CAD (14 [18.4%]; P= 0.035) at baseline. Presence of symptoms compatible with CAD on the WHO questionnaire at baseline was significantly associated with the development of cardiac events (P= 0.016). The curves analyzing the predictive value of resting ECG (P= 0.038), WHO questionnaire and/or resting ECG (P= 0.014), and WHO questionnaire and/or myocardial scintigraphy (P= 0.046) were also significant (figure 1). Abnormalities in the myocardial scintigraphy alone (P= 0.095), or in association with resting ECG abnormalities (P= 0.064), were not predictive of cardiac events.


The results of the Cox regression models adjusted for age, fasting plasma glucose, mean arterial blood pressure, BMI, peripheral vascular disease and diabetic nephropathy at baseline are shown in table 2. The presence of CAD on the WHO questionnaire 1) alone (P= 0.022), 2) with or without resting ECG abnormalities (P= 0.034), and 3) with or without scintigraphy abnormalities (P= 0.05), was significantly associated with the development of cardiac events. Furthermore, when the protective role of the absence of symptoms on the WHO questionnaire and ECG abnormalities was analyzed, a relative risk (RR) of 0.45 (0.23 ­ 0.86; P= 0.016) for the development of cardiac events was observed. The association of a negative WHO cardiovascular questionnaire with a normal resting ECG had a negative predictive value for a new cardiac event of 82.1%.

DISCUSSION

The presence of symptoms compatible with angina or possible infarct on the WHO cardiovascular questionnaire was the most important independent predictor of cardiac events in type 2 diabetic patients, either alone or in combination with ECG or myocardial scintigraphy abnormalities.

The WHO questionnaire for cardiovascular disease was idealized by Rose (14) for the detection of ischemic heart pain in epidemiological studies. It is composed by nine questions that can be answered in one minute. This questionnaire has sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 91% for the diagnoses of angina, and sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 91% for myocardial infarction in non-diabetic subjects (14). However, the performance of this questionnaire may fluctuate across different ethnic groups (15), and it has not been validated in diabetic patients. Moreover, the combination of symptoms of myocardial ischemia with ECG or scintigraphy abnormalities did not increase the risk for the development of a new cardiac event compared with the presence of symptoms of myocardial ischemia alone. Furthermore, when the WHO questionnaire is negative and the ECG is normal, we observed a negative predictive value for cardiac events of 82.1%. In this situation, further additional tests are probably not necessary, reducing the economical costs of the cardiac evaluation.

This study has possible limitations. Patients with angina equivalents, such as dyspnea, faintness, and fatigue, were not identified by the WHO cardiovascular questionnaire. However the inclusion of these equivalents would have probably increased the diagnostic sensitivity of the WHO cardiovascular questionnaire, although with a decrease in the specificity. Other limitation was the high cardiovascular risk profile of the participants included, since 97% had two or more cardiovascular risk factors, and almost 44% presented myocardial ischemia at baseline. This explains the higher proportion of cardiac events observed in the study period as compared to population based studies (16).

In this sample of diabetic patients, myocardial scintigraphy did not constitute a significant predictive factor for the occurrence of cardiac events. Myocardial scintigraphy has also been associated with a low predictive value for significant CAD on angiography (17). However, other authors have described that scintigraphy abnormalities could predict cardiac events in highly selected diabetic patients (7,9,10,18). In the largest of these studies, only patients who had symptoms suggestive of myocardial ischemia (9) or an abnormal exercise treadmill test (10), and therefore an increased positive pre-test probability, underwent exercise myocardial scintigraphy. The low predictive value of myocardial scintigraphy for cardiovascular events in unselected type 2 diabetic patients could be related to the presence of false positive results (19). These false positive results have been attributed to the presence of increased ventricular mass (19) and microvascular disease (20).

The WHO cardiovascular questionnaire, a simple tool used for the diagnosis of CAD, easily obtainable and without any cost, is a good predictor of cardiac events in type 2 diabetic patients. This finding is relevant to the clinical practice, since type 2 diabetic patients with a history of symptoms compatible with CAD, independently of abnormalities on resting ECG or in scintigraphy, should undergo a more complete cardiac evaluation. Although all patients with type 2 diabetes should be considered as potentially having cardiovascular disease (3), this aspect is not always appreciated, as demonstrated by the EUROASPIRE II survey (21). According to that study (21), a significant number of diabetic patients with known cardiovascular disease were still smoking, were not being treated with aspirin, and had not reached target blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Thus, the present study could increase the awareness of cardiovascular involvement in diabetic patients, motivating clinicians to adopt a more intensive multi-risk intervention strategy aiming to reduce mortality among these patients (22).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was partially supported by Projeto de Núcleos de Excelência do Ministério de Ciência e Tecnologia, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa (FIPE) from Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre.

Recebido em 25/07/05

Revisado em 23/11/05

Aceito em 05/12/05

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Appendix 1

  • Endereço para correspondência:
    Jorge L. Gross
    Serviço de Endocrinologia
    Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre
    Rua Ramiro Barcelos 2350, prédio 12, 4o. andar
    90035-003 Porto Alegre, RS
    Fax: (51) 3316-8777
    E-mail:
  • Publication Dates

    • Publication in this collection
      17 Apr 2006
    • Date of issue
      Feb 2006

    History

    • Accepted
      05 Dec 2005
    • Reviewed
      23 Nov 2005
    • Received
      25 July 2005
    Sociedade Brasileira de Endocrinologia e Metabologia Rua Botucatu, 572 - conjunto 83, 04023-062 São Paulo, SP, Tel./Fax: (011) 5575-0311 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
    E-mail: abem-editoria@endocrino.org.br