The occurrence of clinically evident ischaemic heart disease in patients of type 2 diabetes with resting tachycardia

Background: Epidemiological studies have reported the association between resting tachycardia (RT) and cardiovascular mortality, both in cardiac and non cardiac subjects. Aims: To investigate the association between RT and clinically evident ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in diabetic patients. Settings and Design: Retrospective analysis of the hospital data. Data collection period - 2008-2009. Material and Methods: Electro cardiogram recordings of diabetic patients (n=100) were used for the calculation of the resting heart rate (RHR). RHR > 90 beats/ minute (bpm) was considered as RT. Presence/ absence of IHD were noted from the patient case records. The association between RHR and the prevalence of IHD was analyzed by applying the x² test by using the SPSS software 12 version. P values <0.05 were considered to be statistically significant Results: Fifteen percent of the patients had RT and 28% had clinical evidence suggestive of IHD. More than 50% of those with RHR >90/bpm had IHD as compared to 23.5% in the group having RHR ≤90/bpm and the comparison between the two showed statistical significance (p=0.028). Conclusions: This retrospective analysis reports a positive association between RT and the pre-existing IHD in diabetic patients. RHR could be considered as a clinical marker for clinically evident IHD. A careful search for coronary artery disease, including the administration of an angiogram need to be considered in all diabetic patients presenting with RT.