SINGAPORE: In a decade-long diabetes study, researchers from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) found that among those with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), Malays and Indians are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases compared to Chinese patients.
Malay patients had two times higher risk while Indians had 1.7 times higher risk of diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, compared to Chinese patients with T2DM, according to findings of a study released by the healthcare cluster that manages KTPH, Alexandra Health, on Saturday (Nov 8).
Further analysis suggested that the higher risk in Malays may be attributed to the greater prevalence of diabetic kidney disease, while for Indians, the elevated risk may be partially explained by conventional vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and lipids disorder, it added.
A team from KTPH conducted a decade-long study to assess 2,337 patients from Alexandra Hospital and KTPH with T2DM from 2002 to 2011. The patients were on average 58 years old and had 12 years of diabetes, with 69 per cent being Chinese, 18 per cent Malay and 13 per cent Indian.
GREATER INTERVENTION EFFORTS NEEDED
The findings suggest that greater intervention efforts targeting patient education, lifestyle modifications, early detection of renal injury and intensive control of cardiovascular risk factors will be useful in helping Malay and Indian patients better manage T2DM and reduce cardiovascular risk associated with the condition.
The investigators also found that good control of blood glucose level and smoking cessation may significantly reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with T2DM, regardless of ethnicity.
In the latest national health survey, about 11 per cent of Singapore adults had diabetes and approximately 90 per cent of these people have T2DM. The condition results from the body’s inability to produce adequate insulin - a hormone that controls blood glucose - and utilise insulin effectively, said Alexandra Health
Malay patients had two times higher risk while Indians had 1.7 times higher risk of diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, compared to Chinese patients with T2DM, according to findings of a study released by the healthcare cluster that manages KTPH, Alexandra Health, on Saturday (Nov 8).
Further analysis suggested that the higher risk in Malays may be attributed to the greater prevalence of diabetic kidney disease, while for Indians, the elevated risk may be partially explained by conventional vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and lipids disorder, it added.
A team from KTPH conducted a decade-long study to assess 2,337 patients from Alexandra Hospital and KTPH with T2DM from 2002 to 2011. The patients were on average 58 years old and had 12 years of diabetes, with 69 per cent being Chinese, 18 per cent Malay and 13 per cent Indian.
GREATER INTERVENTION EFFORTS NEEDED
The findings suggest that greater intervention efforts targeting patient education, lifestyle modifications, early detection of renal injury and intensive control of cardiovascular risk factors will be useful in helping Malay and Indian patients better manage T2DM and reduce cardiovascular risk associated with the condition.
The investigators also found that good control of blood glucose level and smoking cessation may significantly reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with T2DM, regardless of ethnicity.
In the latest national health survey, about 11 per cent of Singapore adults had diabetes and approximately 90 per cent of these people have T2DM. The condition results from the body’s inability to produce adequate insulin - a hormone that controls blood glucose - and utilise insulin effectively, said Alexandra Health
