The latency period between type 2 diabetes and development of Coronary Artery Disease based on psychological factors

Abstract

ObjectivesDiabetic patients are highly prone to cardiovascular complications. The purpose of this study was to investigate the latency period/time interval between the development of type 2 diabetes and the development of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) based on psychological factors after adjusting for medical and demographic factors. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was carried out on 264 CAD patients who were suffering also from diabetes mellitus (DM). Patients were divided into three groups based on the duration of their diabetes. Data were collected using a checklist of demographic and medical factors, as well as psychological standard scales. The data were analyzed using a chi-square test, ANOVA and multinomial logistic regression. Results45.5% of the patients developed CAD in less than 5 years; 23.5% in 5–10 years, and 22% more than 10 years after being diagnosed with DM. After adjustment for medical and demographic variables, anxiety (p = 0.003), stressful life events (P = 0.009) and exercise (p = 0.033) were associated with early development of CAD and self-care variables including checking blood sugar (p = 0.001) and taking medication (p = 0.049), lifestyle variables including nutrition (p = 0.003), and perceived physiological risk factors for heart disease (p = 0.002) were inversely associated with early development of CAD. ConclusionsPatients with DM are prone to the early development of CAD, and psychological factors were associated with early development of CAD. Therefore, the findings of the current study can be utilized in designing preventive and therapeutic interventions, and implementing and integrating these factors in health-promotion programs for patients with DM can be useful.