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Introduction Diabetes mellitus is a growing public health epidemic in Asia. We examined the impact of type 2 diabetes, glycemic control and microvascular complications on mortality and cardiovascular outcomes in a multiethnic population-based cohort of Asians without prior cardiovascular disease.Research design and methods This was a prospective population-based cohort study in Singapore comprising participants from the three major Asian ethnic groups: Chinese, Malays and Indians, with baseline examination in 2004–2011. Participants with type 1 diabetes and those with cardiovascular disease at baseline were excluded. Type 2 diabetes, Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels and presence of microvascular complications (diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy) were defined at baseline. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), defined as a composite of cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke and revascularization, collected using a national registry.Results A total of 8541 subjects were included, of which 1890 had type 2 diabetes at baseline. Subjects were followed for a median of 6.4 (IQR 4.8–8.8) years. Diabetes was a significant predictor of mortality (adjusted HR 1.74, 95% CI 1.45 to 2.08, p

Objective: Ethnic differences in the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in heart failure (HF) remain unclear. We compared the prevalence and clinical correlates of AF among different ethnicities in an Asian-Pacific population with HF.Methods: Patients with validated HF were prospectively studied across Singapore and New Zealand (NZ).Results: Among 1746 patients with HF (62% Asian, 26% women, mean age 66 (SD 13) years, mean ejection fraction (EF) 37 (SD 16%), 39% had AF. The prevalence of AF was markedly lower in Singapore-Asians than NZ-Europeans (24% vs 63%; p<0.001), even after adjusting for age, clinical and echocardiographic covariates, regardless of EF group (pinteraction for EF=0.39). Patients with AF were older, had higher body mass index and were more likely to have a history of hypertension, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, renal disease, chronic respiratory disease and increased alcohol intake, but less likely to have diabetes. Clinical correlates were similar for Asians and NZ-Europeans, except diabetes: Asian diabetic patients with HF had less AF compared with Asian patients without diabetes (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.88), whereas among NZ-Europeans there was no significant association between diabetes and AF (OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.75) (pinteraction for ethnicity=0.01). AF was associated with a higher crude composite outcome of mortality and HF hospitalisations at 2 years (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.38).Conclusion: There is a strikingly lower prevalence of AF among Asian compared with NZ-European patients with HF. The underlying mechanisms for the lower prevalence of AF among Asians, particularly in the presence of diabetes, deserve further study.Trial Registration Number: ACTRN12610000374066. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To determine the prevalence and risk factors of undiagnosed diabetic retinopathy (DR), in particular vision-threatening DR (VTDR) in a multiethnic Asian cohort. Design A population-based survey of 3353 Chinese, 3280 Malays and 3400 Indians (73.6% response) aged 40-80 years residing in Singapore. Diabetes mellitus (DM) was defined as random glucose ≥11.1 mmol/L, use of diabetic medication or a previous physician diagnosis. DR severity was graded from retinal photographs following the modified Airlie House classification. VTDR was defined as the presence of severe non-proliferative DR (NPDR), proliferative DR (PDR) or clinically significant macular oedema (CSMO), using the Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group definition. Participants were deemed 'undiagnosed' if they reported no prior physician diagnosis in structured interviews, in those with the condition. Results Of 10 033 participants, 2376 had DM (23.7%), of which 805 (33.9%) had DR. Among 2376 with DM, 11.1% (n=263) were undiagnosed. Among 805 with DR, 671 (83.3%) were undiagnosed. Among 212 with VTDR, 59 (27.3%) were undiagnosed. In multivariate models, factors associated with undiagnosed VTDR were higher low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (OR=1.53, 95% CI 0.99 to 2.35, p=0.05) and absence of visual impairment or blindness in any eye in terms of best-corrected vision OR=3.00, 95% CI 1.47 to 6.11, p=0.003). Conclusions In this community, a quarter with VTDR is undiagnosed, and 8 in 10 with any DR are undiagnosed, compared with only 1 in 10 with DM undiagnosed. These findings suggest that screening for diabetes is successful, while screening for DR is currently inadequate in our population. Public health strategies to aid early diagnosis of DR in Singapore are urgently warranted to reduce blindness due to diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aims To examine the relationship between aspirin intake and early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) among an Asian population. Methods A population based cross sectional study of 3207 ethnic Indians aged 40 years or older residing in Singapore. AMD signs were graded from retinal images following the modified Wisconsin grading system. Information on aspirin intake was obtained from a standardised questionnaire. Results The prevalence of early AMD was 5.6%. Aspirin use was reported by 11.4% of participants. Early AMD signs were present among 10.9% of aspirin users and 4.9% of non-aspirin users (p<0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, including age, smoking and previous cataract surgery, aspirin use was associated with early AMD (OR 1.50; 95% CI: 1.01 to 2.22). The association weakened and was not significant after additional adjustment for cardiovascular disease (OR 1.38; 95% CI 0.89 to 2.14). In stratified analysis, aspirin use was significantly associated with early AMD in participants with (adjusted OR 2.64, 95% CI 1.31 to 5.36) but not without (OR 0.73; 95% CI 0.36 to 1.51) a history of cardiovascular disease (interaction term, p=0.011). Conclusions Aspirin intake overall was not associated with early AMD in this sample of Asian Indians, but in those with a history of cardiovascular disease the association between aspirin intake and early AMD might warrant further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]