Diabetes raises risk of heart attack by nearly half

Between 2010 and 2011, almost 14,500 people with diabetes had a heart attack in England and Wales, according to the National Diabetes Audit.

The report, which shows the extent to which people with diabetes are dying earlier and developing more health problems than the rest of the population, says only 9,800 heart-attack cases were expected.

Across Yorkshire, there are wide variations and in some regions the figures are based on small samples.

In Calderdale, diabetics are almost 85 per cent more likely to have a heart attack than non-sufferers and the figure for Airedale and Bradford is 79 per cent.

Nationally the data suggests that diabetics are 65 per cent more likely to have heart failure than the rest of the general population.

Patients are also at greater risk of other conditions such as angina, stroke and needing amputations.

Between 2010 and 2011, 17,900 diabetics suffered from a stroke, 9,800 needed a kidney transplant or dialysis and 1,700 needed a “major amputation”.

Diabetics were also at a higher risk of death than people without the condition. The excess risk is higher among people with Type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes, which develops when the body cannot produce any insulin, accounts for 10 per cent of all cases of diabetes.

The authors of the report said the death rate among people with the condition is 135 per cent higher than the general population.

People with Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90 per cent of all cases and occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin for it to function properly, have a 36 per cent excess risk, the authors add.

Diabetes UK said the NHS should focus more on preventing diabetes-related heart disease.

The charity said that just 40 per cent of sufferers are achieving the recommended cholesterol levels and one in ten are not receiving an annual check.

Many patients suffer high blood pressure and high blood glucose levels, UK Diabetes said.

Chief executive Barbara Young added: “The finding that people with diabetes are almost 50 per cent more likely to have a heart attack is shocking and this is one of the main reasons many thousands of people with the condition are dying before their time.

“It is a tragedy that a large proportion of these thousands of extra heart attacks could have been prevented simply through better education, treatment and care.

“We hope this report spurs the NHS into action to improve the current situation where fewer than half of people with diabetes meet the recommended cholesterol levels and a significant minority are not even having it measured.”

Ms Young added: “We want everyone with diabetes to get their cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose checked once a year, and for this to be the start of a process of supporting the person to achieve healthy levels of these.

“Unless this happens, people with diabetes will continue to be at much greater risk of heart attacks.”

Professor Peter Weissberg, of the British Heart Foundation, said: “These figures show that the biggest problem with diabetes is its devastating effect on the heart and circulation.

“It’s essential that, firstly, everyone with diabetes is identified and, secondly, they receive appropriate treatment and advice to help them avoid cardiovascular complications.

“Still more important is the need to prevent diabetes from occurring in the first place by tackling the increasing levels of obesity in our society, particularly in our children.”

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt added: “People with diabetes should be able to expect excellent care from the NHS and they will get it more consistently in future.”

There are 3.7 million people in the UK with diabetes. Around 850,000 have Type 2 diabetes but do not know it.