Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jan-Feb;24(1):e61-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2013.09.008.

Gender differences in cardiovascular risk factors in incident diabetes

Emily B Schroeder  1 , Elizabeth A Bayliss  2 , Stacie L Daugherty  3 , John F Steiner  3
Affiliations

Gender differences in cardiovascular risk factors in incident diabetes

Emily B Schroeder et al. Womens Health Issues. 2014 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality for women and men with diabetes. Previous cross-sectional studies of prevalent diabetes have found that women are less likely to meet American Diabetes Association (ADA) and American Heart Association guidelines for control of cardiovascular risk factors (hemoglobin A1c, low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, and blood pressure), but have not studied the critical period immediately after diagnosis.

Methods: To assess gender differences in cardiovascular risk factors at the time of diabetes diagnosis (baseline) and 1 year later (follow-up), we conducted a retrospective cohort study of 6,547 individuals with incident diabetes in an integrated care delivery system. We assessed mean cardiovascular risk factor values by gender and adjusted odds ratios of attaining ADA goals.

Findings: Compared with men, at baseline women had lower hemoglobin A1c (7.9% vs. 8.2%; p < .001), higher LDL cholesterol (118.9 vs. 111.5 mg/dL; p < .001), higher systolic blood pressure (131.9 vs. 130.5 mmHg; p < .001), and lower diastolic blood pressure (79.1 vs. 79.7 mmHg; p = .006). At follow-up, the hemoglobin A1c gender gap had closed (6.9% vs. 6.9%; p = .39), and the gender gaps had decreased for blood pressure (129.8/77.0 vs. 128.9/77.6; p = .009) and LDL cholesterol (104.0 vs. 98.2 mg/dL; p < .001). These associations varied by age. Adjusted odds ratios showed similar relationships.

Conclusions: In this cohort of individuals with incident diabetes, men and women had important differences in risk factor control at the time of diabetes diagnosis. These differences varied by age and decreased over time.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Timeline of assessment of baseline and follow-up risk factors
* The baseline risk factor value was the value within this window that was closest to the diabetes diagnosis date. For blood pressure, the three closest values were averaged. † The follow-up risk factor value was the value within this window that was closest to the 12 month follow-up date. For blood pressure, the three closest values were averaged. ‡ All individuals had continuous enrollment from one year prior to the diabetes diagnosis date to 12 months after the diabetes diagnosis date.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Percent of individuals on blood pressure and cholesterol medications at baseline and follow-up by gender and age
Panel A. Total cohort, N=6,547 Panel B. Young (21–49 years), N=1,302 Panel C. Middle-aged (50–64 years), N=2,614 Panel D. Elderly (≥ 65 years), N=2,631 M = men; W = women; BP = blood pressure; ACEi/ARB = angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker. * = P value at baseline. † = P value at follow-up.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Percent of individuals on blood pressure and cholesterol medications at baseline and follow-up by gender and age
Panel A. Total cohort, N=6,547 Panel B. Young (21–49 years), N=1,302 Panel C. Middle-aged (50–64 years), N=2,614 Panel D. Elderly (≥ 65 years), N=2,631 M = men; W = women; BP = blood pressure; ACEi/ARB = angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker. * = P value at baseline. † = P value at follow-up.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Percent of individuals on blood pressure and cholesterol medications at baseline and follow-up by gender and age
Panel A. Total cohort, N=6,547 Panel B. Young (21–49 years), N=1,302 Panel C. Middle-aged (50–64 years), N=2,614 Panel D. Elderly (≥ 65 years), N=2,631 M = men; W = women; BP = blood pressure; ACEi/ARB = angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker. * = P value at baseline. † = P value at follow-up.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Percent of individuals on blood pressure and cholesterol medications at baseline and follow-up by gender and age
Panel A. Total cohort, N=6,547 Panel B. Young (21–49 years), N=1,302 Panel C. Middle-aged (50–64 years), N=2,614 Panel D. Elderly (≥ 65 years), N=2,631 M = men; W = women; BP = blood pressure; ACEi/ARB = angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker. * = P value at baseline. † = P value at follow-up.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Adams AS, Uratsu C, Dyer W, Magid D, O’Connor P, Beck A, et al. Health system factors and antihypertensive adherence in a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of new users. JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173:54–61. - PMC - PubMed
    1. American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes--2012. Diabetes Care. 2012;35(Suppl 1):S11–S63. - PMC - PubMed
    1. American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes--2013. Diabetes Care. 2013;36(Suppl 1):S11–S66. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bayliss EA, Blatchford PJ, Newcomer SR, Steiner JF, Fairclough DL. The effect of incident cancer, depression and pulmonary disease exacerbations on type 2 diabetes control. J Gen Intern Med. 2011;26:575–581. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bertoni AG, Clark JM, Feeney P, Yanovski SZ, Bantle J, Montgomery B, et al. Suboptimal control of glycemia, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol in overweight adults with diabetes: the Look AHEAD Study. J Diabetes Complications. 2008;22:1–9. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms