Diabetes mellitus and the causes of hospitalisation in people with heart failure

Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with increased risk of hospitalisation in people with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, little is known about the causes of these events. Methods Prospective cohort study of 711 people with stable HFrEF. Hospitalisations were categorised by cause as: decompensated heart failure; other cardiovascular; infection or other non-cardiovascular. Rates of hospitalisation and burden of hospitalisation (percentage of follow-up time in hospital) were compared in people with and without DM. Results After a mean follow-up of 4.0 years, 1568 hospitalisations occurred in the entire cohort. DM (present in 32% [n=224]) was associated with a higher rate (mean 1.07 vs 0.78 per 100 patient-years; p<0.001) and burden (3.4 vs 2.2% of follow-up time; p