It is important for diabetes educators to know that diabetic patient as well as those having metabolic syndrome are highly vulnerability to cardiovascular disease and prevention of cardiovascular disease should be given priority as noted by some researchers.

The research was conducted by Ajou University College of Nursing in Korea, which involved 110 Korean adults having type 2 diabetes with 62% being men aged 56.5 years. The investigators were essentially comparing the risk equations derived from studies undertaken by the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes and Framingham in calculation of the 10 year CVD risk. Based on Framingham study, the CVD risk profile essentially comprised of HDL cholesterol, age, sex, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, smoking status and diabetes. The classification of risk levels was as low as 10 percent, between 10 and 20 percent for moderate risk and the high of 20 percent.

Controlling weight gain

UKPDS defines CVD as the myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death as well as other cases of ischemic heart disease, peripheral vascular disease death or stroke. During the study, the researchers essentially made use of age at diagnosis of diabetes, race, sex, HbA1c, smoking status, total cholesterol and systolic BP as well as other variables. The patients essentially demonstrated a 64.3 percent prevalence of the metabolic syndrome factors on average with abdominal obesity being the most often one at 86.4% with an elevation of BP at 78.2 percent. Men smoke and drink more alcohol than women and more men put their stress and weight under control than women.

The 10 year CVD risk had mini scores of 14.55 percent when the Framingham equation was used and 15.99 when UKPDS equation was used. Ideally, the two equations didn’t show any significant differences as such. Based on these two equations, high CVD risk had a risk of about 15 percent. In addition, the area that was under receiver operating the characteristic curves by use of both the engines was very similar, which essentially indicated moderate accuracy.

The high CVD prevalence

Generally in practice, people having metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes can be managed much earlier and are based more intensively on the risk estimated by UKPDS or Framingham as reported by the researchers. The study participants showed a high CVD prevalence and the patients having metabolic syndrome and diabetes showed that it is important that the diabetes educator consider incorporation of the CVD risk assessment based on the optimal cutoff point during the time that patients with metabolic syndrome and diabetes are going through a routine check.  This research was conducted with moderate accuracy and there is no secret to the fact that it helped shine more light on the plight of adults living with diabetes and metabolic syndrome all over the world.