Insulin resistance as a major determinant of increased coronary heart disease risk in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Aim To investigate the risk factors associated with clinically defined coronary heart disease (CHD) in women with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods CHD status was assessed via standard history and resting electrocardiogram in 41 postmenopausal diabetic and 41 age- and body mass index-matched normoglycaemic women recruited from a community-based cohort. The following parameters were assessed: body composition by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, blood pressure, metabolic and lipoprotein profile and haemostatic factors. Results Diabetic women with CHD (n = 14) had greater insulin resistance, calculated by homeostasis model assessment (10.2 (7.0-14.8) vs. 6.5 (5.5-7.7), P = 0.010), and hig..