Background In contrast with the setting of acute myocardial infarction, there are limited data regarding the impact of diabetes mellitus on clinical outcomes in contemporary cohorts of patients with chronic coronary syndromes. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and prognostic impact of diabetes according to geographical regions and ethnicity. Methods and results CLARIFY is an observational registry of patients with chronic coronary syndromes, enrolled across 45 countries in Europe, Asia, America, Middle East, Australia, and Africa in 2009–2010, and followed up yearly for 5 years. Chronic coronary syndromes were defined by ≥1 of the following criteria: prior myocardial infarction, evidence of coronary stenosis >50%, proven symptomatic myocardial ischaemia, or prior revascularization procedure. Among 32 694 patients, 9502 (29%) had diabetes, with a regional prevalence ranging from below 20% in Northern Europe to ∼60% in the Gulf countries. In a multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model, diabetes was associated with increased risks for the primary outcome (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke) with an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.28 (95% confidence interval 1.18, 1.39) and for all secondary outcomes (all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and coronary revascularization). Differences on outcomes according to geography and ethnicity were modest. Conclusion In patients with chronic coronary syndromes, diabetes is independently associated with mortality and cardiovascular events, including heart failure, which is not accounted by demographics, prior medical history, left ventricular ejection fraction, or use of secondary prevention medication. This is observed across multiple geographic regions and ethnicities, despite marked disparities in the prevalence of diabetes. ClinicalTrials identifier ISRCTN43070564

BackgroundThe transfer from pediatric to adult care is a key milestone for adolescents living with chronic health conditions. Over the past few decades, pediatric cardiac care has witnessed outstanding advancements leading to a dramatic increase in the number of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) surviving into adulthood. Successful transfer from pediatric to adult congenital cardiac care is critical because many adults with CHD require regular long-term cardiac care for optimal health outcomes.ObjectivesThis study aims to (1) determine the rate of successful transfer of adolescents with CHD from pediatric to adult congenital cardiac care at the McMaster University Medical Centre (MUMC), a tertiary care level centre, and (2) to explore available patient- and context-related factors associated with unsuccessful transfer. MUMC includes both the McMaster Children’s Hospital, which offers Pediatric Cardiology services, and Adult Outpatient Services, which offers the Adult Congenital Cardiac Clinic (ACCC).MethodsThis is a retrospective cohort study in which all patients eligible for transfer from pediatric to adult congenital cardiac care from January 2006 to December 2012 were identified from the McMaster Children’s Hospital database. Successful transfer was defined as attendance at the ACCC within 2 years of discharge from Pediatric Cardiology. Patient and context-related variables include gender, severity of the CHD diagnosis, years since pediatric follow-up, and distance from the patient’s home to MUMC. The relationship between patient- and context-related variables available at baseline and unsuccessful transfer was assessed by univariate analysis.ResultsA total of 279 patients were identified, of which, 269 patients (96.4%) were successfully transferred to adult congenital cardiac care. Out of the 10 patients (3.6%) who were lost to follow-up, 8 had mild, 1 had moderate, and 1 had severe CHD. Based on the point estimates expressed as odds ratio (OR), factors that are potentially associated with a higher risk for loss to follow-up were: male gender (OR 1.8, 95% CI 0.5–7.3) and travel distance greater than 200 km to MUMC (OR 7.7, 95% CI 0.7–81.5), while moderate and severe CHD could potentially be a protective factor against loss to follow up when compared to mild CHD (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0–1.1).DiscussionThe medical and administrative practices that may be contributing to the high transfer rate of 96.4% include early and developmentally appropriate discussions, engaging patients and their families in cardiac care, proximity of the pediatric and adult congenital cardiac clinics, and an information pamphlet regarding the transition process, amongst others. Learning from our retrospective study we now work with the patients identified as potential high risk for loss to follow-up to understand and eliminate barriers and to implement sustainable methods that will ensure a successful transition to adult health care for all patients with CHD.