Impact of Diabetes on Excessive Cardiovascular Risk: Matched Analysis Based on the European Health Interview Survey

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Diabetes represents a major public health challenge due to its strong link to cardiovascular risk, therefore the aim was to explore the excessive cardiovascular risk attributed to diabetes. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on data from the European Health Interview Surveys in Hungary. Propensity score matching was used to control confounding factors including age, gender, education, marital status, income, health status, obesity, smoking, place of residence, and physical activity. Results: A total of 15,874 individuals were analyzed, of whom 1447 (9.12%) reported having diabetes. Furthermore, diabetes was significantly associated with higher prevalence rates of hypertension (by 23.4%), arrhythmia (by 3.85%), heart attack (by 3.42%), and coronary artery disease (by 6.92%) after adjusting for potential confounders. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of managing cardiovascular risk factors in individuals with diabetes.