Abstract
Acute hyperglycemia has been associated with worse prognosis in patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF). Nevertheless, studies evaluating the impact of glycemic control on long-term prognosis have shown conflicting results. Our aim was to assess the relationship between acute-to-chronic (A/C) glycemic ratio and 4-year mortality in a cohort of subjects hospitalized for acute HF. A total of 1062 subjects were consecutively included. We measured glycaemia at admission and estimated average chronic glucose levels and the A/C glycemic ratio were calculated. Subjects were stratified into groups according to the A/C glycemic ratio tertiles. The primary endpoint was 4-year mortality. Subjects with diabetes had higher risk for mortality compared to those without (HR 1.35 [95% CI: 1.10–1.65]; p = 0.004). A U-shape curve association was found between glucose at admission and mortality, with a HR of 1.60 [95% CI: 1.22–2.11]; p = 0.001, and a HR of 1.29 [95% CI: 0.97–1.70]; p = 0.078 for the first and the third tertile, respectively, in subjects with diabetes. Additionally, the A/C glycemic ratio was negatively associated with mortality (HR 0.76 [95% CI: 0.58–0.99]; p = 0.046 and HR 0.68 [95% CI: 0.52–0.89]; p = 0.005 for the second and third tertile, respectively). In multivariable analysis, the A/C glycemic ratio remained an independent predictor. In conclusion, in subjects hospitalized for acute HF, the A/C glycemic ratio is significantly associated with mortality, improving the ability to predict mortality compared with glucose levels at admission or average chronic glucose concentrations, especially in subjects with diabetes.
Highlights
Subjects with Type 2 diabetes have risks of death and cardiovascular events that are two to four times as great as the risks in the general population [4]
The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors was lower in subjects with diabetes, while the use of angiotensin receptor blockers, aldosterone antagonists, diuretics, and amiodarone was similar in both groups
The main finding of the present study is that the A/C glycemic ratio was significantly associated with 4-year mortality in subjects hospitalized for acute heart failure (HF), improving the ability to predict the 4-year mortality compared with glucose levels at admission or the average chronic glucose concentrations
Summary
Subjects with Type 2 diabetes have risks of death and cardiovascular events that are two to four times as great as the risks in the general population [4]. While 10% to 15% of the general population has diabetes, a recent study suggested that 44% of subjects hospitalized for HF have Type 2 diabetes [7]. The population with both Type 2 diabetes and HF is currently between 0.3 and 0.5% of the total and is growing rapidly [8], being associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death [7]
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