Dallas-based UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found a two-step screening protocol combining clinical risk assessment with biomarker testing that can identify which patients with Type 2 diabetes need medication to prevent heart failure.
The study, published in Circulation, collected data from 6,293 diabetes patients, 4,889 of which had no signs of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. All patients underwent the screening to determine their risk of heart failure, and, after a five-year follow-up, researchers compared the screening results with patient health.
"Our study found that 30% to 50% of the total heart failure events in the population without prevalent ASCVD occurred in individuals marked low-risk with a single screening strategy," Ambarish Pandey, MD, associate professor of internal medicine in the division of cardiology at UT Southwestern, said in a Jan. 2 hospital news release. "But when a second step was added, approximately 85% of the actual heart failure cases were identified. This suggests a substantial percentage of patients with diabetes who could benefit from more aggressive preventive treatment are being overlooked."