Diabetes and impaired fasting glucose as predictors of morbidity and mortality in male coronary artery disease patients with reduced left ventricular function

Objectives - To evaluate the prognostic value of impaired fasting glucose and diabetes mellitus in male patients with coronary artery disease and poor left ventricular function.

Methods and results - From a prospective database on patients referred for gated myocardial perfusion imaging between 1998 and 2002 all male patients with a history of coronary artery disease and poor left ventricular function were selected. Poor function was defined as left ventricular ejection fraction
Conclusion - In male patients with coronary artery disease and impaired left ventricular function diabetes mellitus and fasting glucose are strongly predictive of poor outcome. Diabetics have the worst prognosis but non-diabetics with impaired fasting glucose also are at higher risk compared to nondiabetics with low fasting blood glucose.