Abstract

Background: Diabetes mellitus is associated with the increased prevalence of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Diabetes mellitus highly affects patients who have already experienced an unstable angina or myocardial infarction. Diabetes mellitus is also expected to increase in the coming decades among people worldwide.
Aim: This study aims at exploring comparatively the correlation between electrocardio-graphic and coronary angiographic findings in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD), also to determine the severity and extent of coronary artery disease in diabetic compared to non-diabetic.
Methods: This was a cross sectional study, enrolled 100 patients from the Cardiac Catheterization Center in Al-Sadder Teaching Hospital, Basrah, Iraq during the period between January and May 2012. Fifty diabetic and 50 non-diabetic consecutive patients were selected. Every selected patient underwent an ECG and coronary angiography depending on at least one indication.
Results: A significant correlation was found between diabetes and ischemic angiographic findings and diabetic patients has more extensive and diffuse disease than non-diabetic.
Conclusions: Diabetic patients are more susceptible to ischemic heart disease than non-diabetic, Therefore diabetic patients with suspected CAD are highly recommended to have coronary angiography.