title: Value of exercise tolerance testing in evaluation of diabetic patients presented with atypical chest discomfort.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Coronary artery disease is the single most important cause of mortality and morbidity in diabetic patients. Electrocardiographic stress test is a non-invasive modality to screen significant coronary involvement in minimally symptomatic diabetics.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of this test in comparison with coronary angiography.
  
  
  METHODS
  130 diabetic patients with atypical chest discomfort were studied and tested using Exercise Tolerance Test (ETT) among which 100 cases showed positive results that further were studied invasively by selective coronary angiography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The positive predictive value of ETT for diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)among diabetic patients presented with atypical chest discomfort was 77%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that electrocardiographic stress test is a valuable inexpensive non-invasive screening test in diabetic patients with atypical chest discomfort.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, Taleghani Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Esmail
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gheydari
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jamali
authors.forename: Farhad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hajsheikholeslami
authors.forename: Shahrooz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yazdani
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jamali
keywords: Chest Pain; Coronary Angiography; Diabetes; Exercise Test; Ischemia