Jump to: Page Content, Site Navigation, Site Search,
You are seeing this message because your web browser does not support basic web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing and what you can do to make your experience on this site better.
Kay-Tee Khaw a Department of
Public Health and Primary Care, Institute of Public Health, University
of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge CB2 2SR, b Medical Research Council Dunn Human Nutrition Unit,
Cambridge CB2 2XY
Correspondence to: K-T Khaw, Clinical Gerontology Unit, Box
251, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine,
Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ kk101{at}medschl.cam.ac.uk
Objective:
To examine the value of glycated
haemoglobin (HbA1c) concentration, a marker of blood
glucose concentration, as a predictor of death from cardiovascular and
all causes in men.
Design:
Prospective population study.
Setting:
Norfolk cohort of European Prospective
Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Norfolk).
Subjects:
4662 men aged 45-79 years who had had
glycated haemoglobin measured at the baseline survey in 1995-7 who were followed up to December 1999.
Main outcome measures:
Mortality from all causes,
cardiovascular disease, ischaemic heart disease, and other causes.
Results:
Men with known diabetes had increased
mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and ischaemic
disease (relative risks 2.2, 3.3, and 4.2, respectively, P <0.001
independent of age and other risk factors) compared with men without
known diabetes. The increased risk of death among men with diabetes was
largely explained by HbA1c concentration. HbA1c
was continuously related to subsequent all cause, cardiovascular, and
ischaemic heart disease mortality through the whole population
distribution, with lowest rates in those with HbA1c
concentrations below 5%. An increase of 1% in HbA1c was
associated with a 28% (P<0.002) increase in risk of death independent
of age, blood pressure, serum cholesterol, body mass index, and
cigarette smoking habit; this effect remained (relative risk 1.46, P=0.05 adjusted for age and risk factors) after men with known
diabetes, a HbA1c concentration
7%, or history of
myocardial infarction or stroke were excluded. 18% of the population
excess mortality risk associated with a HbA1c concentration
5% occurred in men with diabetes, but 82% occurred in men with
concentrations of 5%-6.9% (the majority of the population).
Conclusions:
Glycated haemoglobin concentration seems
to explain most of the excess mortality risk of diabetes in men and to
be a continuous risk factor through the whole population distribution. Preventive efforts need to consider not just those with established diabetes but whether it is possible to reduce the population
distribution of HbA1c through behavioural means.
Read all Rapid Responses