title: Prediction of mortality by stress echocardiography in 2835 diabetic and 11 305 nondiabetic patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To compare the capability by stress echocardiography results to predict overall mortality in a large unselected cohort of diabetic and nondiabetic patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study group comprised 14 140 patients (2835 diabetics and 11 305 nondiabetics) who underwent stress echocardiography for evaluation of known (n=5671) or suspected (n=8469) coronary artery disease. Ischemia at stress echocardiography was observed in 768 (27%) diabetics and 2644 (23%) nondiabetics. During a median follow-up of 30 months (first quartile, 9; third quartile, 63), 1213 patients died. In diabetics, multivariable indicators of mortality were age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.09), rest wall motion abnormality (HR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.83-3.22), and ischemia at stress echocardiography (HR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.34-2.18). In nondiabetics, multivariable indicators of mortality were age (HR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.06-1.08), rest wall motion abnormality (HR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.86-2.57), male sex (HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.41-1.93), ischemia at stress echocardiography (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.32-1.80), and antischemic therapy at the time of test (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.00-1.32). In stress echo negative subjects for ischemia, antischemic therapy showed increased annual mortality in nondiabetic patients with (3.8% versus 3.1%; P=0.04) or without rest wall motion abnormality (1.6% versus 0.9%; P<0.0001); it failed to do so in diabetic patients with (5.7% versus 5.8%; P=0.89) or without rest wall motion abnormality (2.6% versus 1.9%; P=0.10).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ischemia at stress echocardiography is a strong and independent predictor of total mortality in diabetic as well as nondiabetic patients. Antischemic therapy markedly affects the negative predictive value of stress echocardiography in nondiabetic patients, whereas it is prognostically neutral in the diabetic population.
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology, San Luca Hospital, Lucca, Italy (L.C., L.B., F.B.); and Departments of Echocardiography (M.R., E.P, R.S.) and Epidemiology (S.M.), Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Lauro
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cortigiani
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology, San Luca Hospital, Lucca, Italy (L.C., L.B., F.B.); and Departments of Echocardiography (M.R., E.P, R.S.) and Epidemiology (S.M.), Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Borelli
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology, San Luca Hospital, Lucca, Italy (L.C., L.B., F.B.); and Departments of Echocardiography (M.R., E.P, R.S.) and Epidemiology (S.M.), Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raciti
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology, San Luca Hospital, Lucca, Italy (L.C., L.B., F.B.); and Departments of Echocardiography (M.R., E.P, R.S.) and Epidemiology (S.M.), Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bovenzi
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology, San Luca Hospital, Lucca, Italy (L.C., L.B., F.B.); and Departments of Echocardiography (M.R., E.P, R.S.) and Epidemiology (S.M.), Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Picano
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology, San Luca Hospital, Lucca, Italy (L.C., L.B., F.B.); and Departments of Echocardiography (M.R., E.P, R.S.) and Epidemiology (S.M.), Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Molinaro
authors.affiliation: From the Division of Cardiology, San Luca Hospital, Lucca, Italy (L.C., L.B., F.B.); and Departments of Echocardiography (M.R., E.P, R.S.) and Epidemiology (S.M.), Institute of Clinical Physiology, CNR, Pisa, Italy. rosas@ifc.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sicari
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality; D025401:Echocardiography, Stress; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: diabetes mellitus; echocardiography; prognosis; stress