TUESDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Asthma appears to be associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes mellitus (DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, held from March 18 to 22 in San Francisco.
In a retrospective cohort study, Young J. Juhn, M.D., M.P.H., of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues evaluated 2,392 asthma patients and 4,784 age- and gender-matched controls without asthma.
Among those without asthma, the investigators found that the incidence rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), DM, and CAD were 16.7, 55.3, 104, and 134 per 100,000, respectively. Among asthma patients, the incidence rates of IBD, RA, DM, and CAD were 21.2, 81.8, 138.4, and 188.6 per 100,000, respectively. Asthma was associated with increased risks of developing DM (hazard ratio [HR], 2.11) and CAD (HR, 1.43) but not with statistically significant increased risks of developing IBD or RA.
"While it's important for clinicians to be aware of the increased risks of coronary artery disease and diabetes in asthmatics, these findings should be interpreted cautiously given the preliminary nature," Juhn said in a statement. "Given the significant proportion of people affected by asthma, we need to continue to carefully monitor the potential impact of asthma epidemiology on the epidemiology of other chronic diseases."
Abstract No. 293
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