Heart conditions from undiagnosed diabetes

A significant number of people in Kentucky may be unaware that they have diabetes or are at risk of suffering a heart attack or other cardiovascular event in the near future. Approximately 25.8 million people in the United State have been diagnosed with diabetes. However, recent statistics indicate that approximately 7 million people in the United States have an undiagnosed case of diabetes.

The implications of this data were discussed at the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Session 2014 held by the American Heart Association. New research studies have discovered that approximately 10 percent of the people who suffer heart attacks may also suffer from an undiagnosed case of diabetes. The American Heart Association estimates that approximately 66 percent of the people who have diabetes are at risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease.

Researchers also learned that physicians failed to detect diabetes in 69 percent of the people with undiagnosed conditions. Doctors would have increased their ability to detect diabetes in patients 17 times over by reviewing A1C levels for those suffering from a heart attack. The health study involved examining the records of more than 2,800 heart attack patients who attended 24 different hospitals across the United States.

The lead author of the study stressed the important of diagnosing diabetes patients properly due to the significant role the condition plays in people who suffer from heart disease. Patients who suffer a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease because of a physician’s failure to recognize symptoms of a developing diabetic condition may consider speaking with legal counsel about filing a medical malpractice claim in court.

Source: Medical Daily , “Diabetes May Cause Heart Attacks When Doctors Fail To Diagnosis The Disease“, Samantha Olson , June 03, 2014