Silent myocardial ischemia prevalence among a diabetic population at high cardiovascular risk in western Algeria

Introduction Silent myocardial ischemia (SMI) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Its screening is of a capital importance for its management. Objective The objective of our study was to determine the prevalence of SMI in diabetic patients with high cardiovascular risk as well as the predictive factors. Method We recruited 216 diabetic patients with high cardiovascular risk defined according to the recommendations of ALFEDIAM/SFC 2004, in whom we searched for a SMI type 1, using an exercise electrocardiogram. The study was performed in Sidi Bel Abbes cardiology university hospital service. Results The mean age of the population was 59.47 ± 8.25 years and the sex ratio of 1.48. The prevalence of SMI in both genders was 17.6% without significant difference. Criteria for a highly positive SMI was found in 34.2% of them with a higher frequency in men (P  Conclusion Highly positive SMI was more common for men. Some predictive markers of the disease were determined, including left ventricular hypertrophy, carotid stenosis, a clinical history of peptic ulcer and an increase in serum creatinine.