Objectives: To investigate the outcome after acute myocardial infarction in diabetic patients compared with non-diabetic patients in a period with invasive treatment as the preferred treatment for acute myocardial infarction (MI).
Design: Patient records for all patients admitted with an acute MI in a two-year period from July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2003 were reviewed.
Results: A total of 334 patients entered the study: 48 with diabetes mellitus (DM) and 286 without diabetes. ST-elevation infarction occurred in 49% of non-diabetic patients and 36% of diabetic patients. In-hospital mortality was 23% among diabetic patients compared to 5% among non-diabetic patients (p < 0.001). Long-term mortality (median 2 years and 10 months) was 44% in diabetic-patients and 23% in non-diabetic patients (p = 0.001). Diabetic patients were older, more frequently had hypertension and three-vessel disease, but DM was found to be an independent risk factor for death after MI (p = 0.005).
Conclusions: In an era of invasive therapy as the preferred therapy for acute MI, DM is still associated with considerably increased mortality after an acute MI.