Cardiovascular risk and protective factors in adults with and without diabetes mellitus (Italy, 2016–19)

Abstract

Background Cardiovascular (CV) diseases are a major cause of the disease burden worldwide and contribute substantially to health care costs, in particular in people with diabetes. Their incidence can be reduced by multi-factorial interventions. This study intends to describe the occurrence of CV risk and protective/preventive factors in the adult population resident in Italy, to better target public health interventions. Methods Data collected in 2016–19 from adults aged 18–69 years, participating in the Italian Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System (PASSI) based on a cross-sectional design, were used. The frequency of CV risk/protective factors was estimated in people with and without diabetes. The contribution of socioeconomic level (SEL) to CV risk was also explored. Results Among 129 989 respondents, 4.7% received a diagnosis of diabetes. Many CV risk factors were significantly more frequent in people with diabetes, who often presented multiple risk factors. At the same time, they adopted protective behaviours and received treatments and preventive interventions more often than those without diabetes. Relevant disparities were observed between SEL groups in diabetic people, with the least advantaged showing a worse risk profile. Conclusions Adults resident in Italy with diabetes are exposed to CV risk factors more often than those without diabetes. However, they show an increased attention to control these factors and receive more frequent health care, although less than ideal in absolute terms. There is an opportunity to reduce the important CV disease burden in the population through preventive/health promotion targeted interventions, prioritizing people with diabetes and of lower SEL.

Donor and recipient age matching in lung transplantation: A retrospective study

“…Furthermore, a retrospective study reported that pre-transplant diabetes mellitus could increase the risk of cancer after LTx, and cancer is a major source of morbidity and mortality in patients with solid organ transplantations [ 23 ]. To our knowledge, diabetes also increases the morbidity of cardiovascular diseases, which are thought to increase the mortality of patients receiving LTx [ [24] , [25] , [26] ].…”