Nationwide cardiovascular risk categorization : applying the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines to the Swedish National Diabetes Register

• AIMS: The 2021 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines recommend that patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) with a very high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk receive cardiovascular (CV)-protective glucose-lowering medication (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists or sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors). This analysis compared previous prescribing practices with the ESC recommendations.METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients in the Swedish National Diabetes Register (NDR) with T2D, aged 18-90 years, not receiving CV-protective glucose-lowering medication in 2017 were identified, and the ESC criteria for very high CVD risk was applied. The composite outcome of major adverse CV events (MACE; defined as CV death, non-fatal stroke or non-fatal myocardial infarction) during 2017 was calculated and the number of MACE avoided with semaglutide, an example of a CV-protective glucose-lowering medication, was estimated for patients within a certain CV risk score.Of the 320,028 patients in the NDR with T2D who were not receiving CV-protective glucose-lowering medication, 129,512 patients had a very high CVD risk. Patients with a very high CVD risk had a high incidence of MACE (75.4 events/1000 person-years), which was higher in those with atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) with and without elevated glycated haemoglobin (>9%; 136.5 and 90.8 events/1000 person-years, respectively). If patients with a very high CVD risk, according to the ESC, and ASCVD received semaglutide, 803 MACE may have been avoided in 2017.CONCLUSIONS: This analysis highlights differences between previous prescribing practices in Sweden and the 2021 ESC guidelines, and offers strategies to prioritize CV-protective glucose-lowering medication for patients who would benefit most.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Kardiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease risk

Epidemiology

European Society of Cardiology guidelines

Type 2 diabetes

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

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