Abstract
BackgroundBiomarkers may contribute to improved cardiovascular risk estimation. Glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is used to monitor the quality of diabetes treatment. Its strength of association with cardiovascular outcomes in the general population remains uncertain. This study aims to assess the association of HbA1c with cardiovascular outcomes in the general population.MethodsData from six prospective population-based cohort studies across Europe comprising 36,180 participants were analyzed. HbA1c was evaluated in conjunction with classical cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) for association with cardiovascular mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence, and overall mortality in subjects without diabetes (N = 32,496) and with diabetes (N = 3684).ResultsKaplan–Meier curves showed higher event rates with increasing HbA1c levels (log-rank-test: p < 0.001). Cox regression analysis revealed significant associations between HbA1c (in mmol/mol) in the total study population and the examined outcomes. Thus, a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.16 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.31, p = 0.02) for cardiovascular mortality, 1.13 (95% CI 1.03–1.24, p = 0.01) for CVD incidence, and 1.09 (95% CI 1.02–1.17, p = 0.01) for overall mortality was observed per 10 mmol/mol increase in HbA1c. The association with CVD incidence and overall mortality was also observed in study participants without diabetes with increased HbA1c levels (HR 1.12; 95% CI 1.01–1.25, p = 0.04) and HR 1.10; 95% CI 1.01–1.20, p = 0.02) respectively. HbA1c cut-off values of 39.9 mmol/mol (5.8%), 36.6 mmol/mol (5.5%), and 38.8 mmol/mol (5.7%) for cardiovascular mortality, CVD incidence, and overall mortality, showed also an increased risk.ConclusionsHbA1c is independently associated with cardiovascular mortality, overall mortality and cardiovascular disease in the general European population. A mostly monotonically increasing relationship was observed between HbA1c levels and outcomes. Elevated HbA1c levels were associated with cardiovascular disease incidence and overall mortality in participants without diabetes underlining the importance of HbA1c levels in the overall population.
Highlights
Assessing the cardiovascular risk in the general population is important for clinical decision-making, including the prescription of medication or targeting of lifestyle intervention strategies [1,2,3]
The association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and overall mortality was observed in study participants without diabetes with increased H bA1c levels (HR 1.12; 95% CI 1.01–1.25, p = 0.04) and hazard ratio (HR) 1.10; 95% CI 1.01–1.20, p = 0.02) respectively. HbA1c cut-off values of 39.9 mmol/mol (5.8%), 36.6 mmol/mol (5.5%), and 38.8 mmol/mol (5.7%) for cardiovascular mortality, CVD incidence, and overall mortality, showed an increased risk
HbA1c is independently associated with cardiovascular mortality, overall mortality and cardiovascular disease in the general European population
Summary
Assessing the cardiovascular risk in the general population is important for clinical decision-making, including the prescription of medication or targeting of lifestyle intervention strategies [1,2,3]. The decision whether to include novel biomarkers in cardiovascular risk assessment remains a topic of intense debate and research [4]. Due to the clinical need to identify novel risk factors to improve cardiovascular risk assessment, glycated hemoglobin or hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) may be a potential candidate [6]. Its strength of association with cardiovascular outcomes in the general population remains uncertain. This study aims to assess the association of H bA1c with cardiovascular outcomes in the general population
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