This study looked at how people who have had heart attacks understand their risk of getting diabetes. The researchers studied 466 heart attack patients in Augsburg, Germany, and found some concerning results.

The main finding was that 58% of patients underestimated their risk of developing diabetes. This was particularly true for:

  • Older people
  • People with higher body weight and larger waist size
  • Those with a history of high blood sugar
  • People with diabetes in their family
  • Those with less education
  • People taking blood pressure medications

Interestingly, people with higher education levels were better at accurately estimating their diabetes risk. This suggests that education plays a key role in understanding health risks.

The findings are particularly worrying because heart attack patients are already at higher risk for diabetes, yet they seem to understand their risk less than the general population. This is somewhat of a paradox – the people who most need to understand their health risks are the ones who understand them the least.

The researchers used a tool called FINDRISC to calculate actual diabetes risk and compared this with how patients viewed their own risk. While this tool is generally reliable, it might not be perfect for heart attack patients since it doesn’t specifically account for heart-related factors.

The study had some limitations. Only about half of eligible patients participated, and the study was done in just one German city, so the findings might not apply everywhere. Also, the study relied on people self-reporting information, which isn’t always accurate.

The researchers concluded that there’s a clear need for better education about diabetes risk, especially for heart attack patients. They recommend:

  • Improving how doctors communicate about diabetes risk
  • Developing better educational tools
  • Paying special attention to older patients and those with less education
  • Creating programs that help people understand their health risks better

This knowledge could help prevent diabetes in people who have already had heart attacks, potentially improving their health outcomes and reducing strain on healthcare systems.

Source: cardiab.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12933-024-02551-1