People with diabetes have increased risk of heart failure by 84 percent, medical associations said yesterday, recommending that people with the condition assess their heart failure risks annually.
The Diabetes Association of the Republic of China and the Taiwan Society of Cardiology yesterday held a news conference in Taipei, inviting experts to explain the association between diabetes and heart failure.
National Center for Geriatrics and Welfare Research executive director Hsu Chih-cheng (許志成) said that, according to data from the 2024 Taiwan Diabetes Annual Report and National Health Insurance (NHI) statistics, the risk of heart failure in people with diabetes is 84 percent higher than those without.
Photo: Hou Chia-yu, Taipei Times
The data also show that more young people are being diagnosed with diabetes, and the trend of early-onset diabetes is likely to speed up cardiovascular deterioration, he said.
In 2023, among people with type 2 diabetes, the prevalence of heart failure was 8.27 percent, and up to 11.25 percent among those aged 65 or older, Hsu said.
Among those with diabetes who were hospitalized for heart failure, the fatality rate within a year was as high as 25.22 percent, he added.
Liao Kuo-meng (廖國盟), an attending physician of the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Taipei City Hospital’s Zhongxiao branch, said fatigue, shortness of breath and swelling are hallmark symptoms of heart failure.
A woman in her 30s was diagnosed with diabetes and obesity for two years before she suddenly experienced shortness of breath, he said, adding that after being rushed to hospital, it was found that she had advanced heart failure.
The woman was also found to have severe cardiac hypertrophy and reduced contractility, Liao said, adding that if she had received a blood test to monitor heart failure earlier, she could have avoided the need for urgent care.
Studies have indicated that the risk of heart failure in people with diabetes has already increased, even without the onset of symptoms, he said, adding that people with diabetes should start getting tested regularly even before symptoms appear.
The two medical associations jointly announced a Consensus on Heart Failure Risk in Patients with Diabetes, using a traffic light system to divide risks into three levels for adults aged 40 or older with one or more risk factors.
NHI Administration Director-General Chen Liang-yu (陳亮妤) said chronic disease prevention and management is a key aspect of the “Healthy Taiwan” national initiative, as there are more than 8.5 million people with one of the “three highs” — high blood pressure, high blood lipids or high blood sugar.
As Taiwan has become a super-aged society, chronic disease and comorbidity care are becoming more common, she said, adding that diabetes is not only a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but also kidney disease and chronic hepatitis C.
The agency would continue to improve Taiwan’s chronic disease care network by improving interdisciplinary integrated care and precise resource allocation, aiming to reduce readmission rates, she added.
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