Prevalence of Macrovascular Complications among Diabetic Patients at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangladesh

Background: Macrovascular complications such as coronary artery disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease are major causes of illness and death in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). These complications are often overlooked in nephrology settings, where patients commonly have overlapping conditions like chronic kidney disease (CKD). Aim: To determine the prevalence of macrovascular complications among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Method: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Bangladesh Medical University (BMU), Dhaka, involving 283 adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Participants were recruited consecutively from Outpatient Department of Nephrology, BMU. Data were collected through interviews, medical record reviews, and from recent laboratory results. Macrovascular complications- including coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarction (MI), angina, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease (PVD) were assessed accordingly. Data were analyzed and compared by statistical tests. Results: Out of 283 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, 55.8% had at least one macrovascular complication. Coronary artery disease (31.8%) was the most prevalent, followed by myocardial infarction (19.4%), angina (16.3%), peripheral vascular disease (13.4%), acute coronary syndrome (5.7%), and stroke (12.7%). Most patients were middle-aged (mean age 55.7 ± 10.03 years), male (64%), and had a diabetes duration of less than 10 years (57.6%). Hypertension was common (70.7%) and significantly associated with macrovascular complications (p=0.028). Biochemically, patients with complications had higher mean serum creatinine (3.67 mg/dL) and lower eGFR (22.69 mL/min/1.73 m²), both showing strong statistical significance (p=0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). CKD stage was also significantly associated (p<0.001), with more complications observed in advanced stages. Lipid abnormalities and glycemic status- glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and f