Lifetime Risk of Heart Failure and Trends in Incidence Rates Among Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Between 1995 and 2018

Background There are limited data on the lifetime risk of heart failure (HF) in people with type 2 diabetes and how incidence has changed over time. We estimated the cumulative incidence and incidence rates of HF among Danish adults with type 2 diabetes between 1995 and 2018 using nationwide data. Methods and Results In total, 398 422 patients (49% women) with type 2 diabetes were identified. During follow-up, 36 400 (9%) were diagnosed with HF and 121 459 (30%) were censored due to death. Using the Aalen-Johansen estimators, accounting for the risk of death, the estimated residual lifetime risk of HF at age 50 years was calculated as 24% (95% CI 22%-27%) in women and 27% (25%-28%) in men. During the observational period, the proportion of patients treated with statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers, and metformin increased from <30% to >60%. Similarly, the annual incidence rates of HF decreased significantly, with declines being greater in older versus younger individuals (5% versus 2% in age >50 versus ≤50 years, respectively; P<0.0001) and in women versus men (5% versus 4%, P=0.02), but similar in patients with and without IHD (4% versus 4%, P=0.53). Conclusions The current lifetime risk of HF in type 2 diabetes approximates 1 in 4 for men and women. Paralleled by an increase in use of evidence-based pharmacotherapy over the past decades, the risk of developing HF has declined across several subgroups and regardless of underlying IHD, suggesting that optimal diabetes treatment can mitigate HF risk.