A warning has been issued to diabetes sufferers as a new study shows they ma be at a greater risk of undiagnosed heart disease.
According to the research, one in three people with type 2 diabetes could be suffering, unbeknown to them, with the potentially deadly condition.
A team of US researchers found that high levels of specific proteins in a person's blood could indicate heart damage in those with diabetes, possibly leading to symptomless heart disease, with a a greater risk than those who do not have the condition.
Doctor Elizabeth Selvin from John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, explained that the biomarkers may reveal who is most at risk. She said: “What we are seeing is that many people with type 2 diabetes who have not had a heart attack or a history of heart disease are at high risk for cardiovascular complications.
“When we look at the whole population of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, some are at low risk and some are at high risk for cardiovascular disease, so the open question is ‘Who is most at risk?’
“These cardiac biomarkers give us a window into cardiovascular risk in people who otherwise might not be recognised as highest risk.”
Across the UK there are move than 5 million living with diabetes, with cases doubling in the last 15 years, according to Diabetes UK.
Diabetes causes blood sugar levels to spike as the body is unable to produce enough insulin - the hormone used to break down glucose.
Previous studies have shown that type 2 diabetes can increase the risk of both heart disease and stroke.
And the latest study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, analysed the the likelihood of the condition in people who have not yet received a diagnosis.
The researchers studied health information and blood samples from more than 10,300 adults between 1999 and 2004, with no participants previously diagnosed with any heart disease.
The researchers sought to find out whether the existence of proteins was linked to an increased risk, with the results suggesting 33.4 per cent of people with diabetes had undetected cardiovascular disease.
These results were concluded as sample indicated elevated levels of two protein markers.
Those without diabetes were found to have a 16.1 per cent risk.
High levels of these proteins was found to suggest a 54 per cent greater risk of death from heart problems in patients with diabetes when compared to regular levels.
Dr Selvin said: "Cholesterol is often the factor that we target to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with type 2 diabetes.
“However, type 2 diabetes may have a direct effect on the heart not related to cholesterol levels.
“Our research suggests that additional non-statin-related therapies are needed to lower the cardiovascular disease risk in people with type 2 diabetes.”
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