ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical characteristics of diabetic vs nondiabetic patients who present to the ED with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: This was a prospective, observational study at a suburban, university hospital ED of patients presenting to the ED during study hours between December 1993 and October 1996 with typical and atypical symptoms consistent with cardiac ischemia. Diabetic and nondiabetic patients with AMI were compared. Demographic, historical, and clinical data were recorded by trained research assistants using a standardized, closed-question, data collection instrument. Final discharge diagnosis of AMI was assigned by WHO criteria. Continuous variables were analyzed by t-tests. Clinical variables were analyzed by chi-square tests. All tests were two-tailed with alpha preset at 0.05. RESULTS: There were 216 patients with AMI during the study period; 51 of these patients (24%) were diabetic. For diabetic vs nondiabetic patients with AMI, there was no significant difference in age (64.0 +/- 13 vs 60.0 +/- 14 years, p = 0.13), female gender (37% vs 26%, p = 0.13), and time to presentation from symptom onset (192 +/- 238 vs 251 +/- 456 minutes, p = 0.41). Hypertension was the only cardiac risk factor significantly more prevalent in diabetic vs nondiabetic patients with AMI (77% vs 50%, OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.24 to 1.91, p = 0.001), though elevated cholesterol (48% vs 33%, OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.02 to 2.12, p = 0.06) tended to be more prevalent in the diabetic group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the frequency of chest pain (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.95 to 1.14, p = 0.30), associated symptoms, and diagnostic ECGs (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 0.76 to 1.79, p = 0.53). CONCLUSION: Diabetic patients with AMI may have similar symptoms upon presentation as do nondiabetic patients with AMI. Of the cardiac risk factors, hypertension is more prevalent in diabetic vs nondiabetic patients with AMI.
