Severe Hypoglycemia, Cardiac Structure and Function, and Risk of Cardiovascular Events Among Older Adults With Diabetes

OBJECTIVE To assess the association of severe hypoglycemia measured at baseline with cardiovascular disease (CVD) among community-dwelling older individuals with diabetes, a group particularly susceptible to hypoglycemia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We included older adults with diabetes from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study who attended visit 5 (2011–2013, baseline). Severe hypoglycemia at baseline was defined with use of first position ICD-9 codes from hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and ambulance calls. We examined cross-sectional associations of severe hypoglycemia with echocardiographic indices of cardiac structure-function. We prospectively evaluated the risks of incident or recurrent CVD (coronary heart disease, stroke, or heart failure) and all-cause mortality, from baseline to 31 December 2018, using negative binomial and Cox regression models. RESULTS Among 2,193 participants (mean [SD] age 76 [5] years, 57% female, 32% Blacks), 79 had a history of severe hypoglycemia at baseline. Severe hypoglycemia was associated with a lower left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (adjusted β-coefficient −3.66% [95% CI −5.54, −1.78]), higher LV end diastolic volume (14.80 mL [95% CI 8.77, 20.84]), higher E-to-A ratio (0.11 [95% CI 0.03, 0.18]), and higher septal E/e′ (2.48 [95% CI 1.13, 3.82]). In adjusted models, severe hypoglycemia was associated with incident or recurrent CVD (incidence rate ratio 2.19 (95% CI 1.24, 3.88]) and all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 1.71 [95% CI 1.10, 2.67]) among those without prevalent CVD. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that a history of severe hypoglycemia is associated with alterations in cardiac function and is an important marker of future cardiovascular risk in older adults.