Older Diabetics' Risk of Cardiac Ischemia Lower Than Thought

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"Over the course of the study, all participants continued to be seen by their own physicians, and the physicians of 30 percent of the unscreened control group independently found reason to recommend various diagnostic and treatment procedures, such as stress testing, cardiac catheterization, angioplasty, and bypass surgery, to their patients," Wackers said. "Since these control patients likely had an equal prevalence of ischemia to those who were screened, standard clinical care and attentive follow-up appear to be sufficient to detect those at risk and in need of intensive cardiologic care."

About 65 percent of diabetics die from heart disease or stroke, according to U.S. National Institutes of Health statistics. Adults with diabetes have heart disease at a rate two to four times higher than those without diabetes.

Almost 21 million Americans have diabetes, a condition resulting from high blood glucose levels that cause the body to be unable to produce or use insulin. It is the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the United States. Type 2 most often occurs in adults who are overweight and aged 40 and older.

More information

The American Heart Association has more about ischemia.