Heart Disease Drops in Diabetics

Researchers have detected a drop in the occurrence of problemsrelated to cardiovascular disease in adult patients with diabetes,but the overall rate of cardiovascular disease among thisgroup in the United States remains 2 times higher than inpatients without diabetes. The current study analyzed data for 2groups of individuals, aged 45 to 64, who were enrolled in theFramingham Heart Study. Group 1 included 4118 individuals whoparticipated from 1950 to 1966, while group 2 included 4063 individualswho participated from 1977 to 1995. In the first group,113 individuals had diabetes, while the second group had 317individuals with the condition.

The results of the study showed that adults in the later timeperiod had a 50% reduction in the incidence of cardiovasculardisease, compared with the individuals in the earlier time period.(The findings were reported in the Journal of the American MedicalAssociation, November 24, 2004.)