Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a significant contributor to mortality among adults with diabetes mellitus (DM) in the United States. This study examines the patterns of CAD-related mortality in individuals aged 25 and above with DM, with a particular focus on geographic, gender, and racial/ethnic discrepancies from 1999 to 2020.
Methods: The study analyzed death certificate information from the CDC WONDER database from 1999 to 2020. Age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs), annual percent change (APC), and average annual percentage change (AAPC) were computed per 100,000 individuals, categorized by year, gender, race/ethnicity, and geographic areas.
Results: Between 1999 and 2020, CAD in individuals with DM resulted in 1,462,279 deaths among adults aged 25 and above in the United States. The majority of these deaths occurred in medical facilities (44.2%) and at home (29.3%). The overall age-AAMR for CAD in DM-related deaths decreased from 36.3 in 1999 to 31.7 in 2020, with an AAPC of -0.96 (95% CI: -1.29 to -0.77 p < 0.000001). Men had higher AAMRs (41.6) compared to women (22.6), with a more significant decrease in women (AAPC: -2.10, p < 0.000001) than in men (AAPC: -0.34, p = 0.001200). Racial/ethnic disparities showed the highest AAMRs in American Indians/Alaska Natives (43.6), followed by Blacks (37.8), Hispanics (33.8), Whites (29.7), and Asians/Pacific Islanders (22.5). The most significant decrease was in Hispanics (AAPC: -1.64, p < 0.000001). Geographically, AAMRs ranged from 13.7 in Nevada to 51.3 in West Virginia, with the highest mortality observed in the Midwest (AAMR: 34.5). Nonmetropolitan areas exhibited higher AAMRs (35.2) than metropolitan areas (29.7), with a more pronounced decrease in urban areas (AAPC: -1.22, p < 0.000001) compared to nonmetropolitan areas (AAPC: -0.03, p = 0.854629).
Conclusion: The decrease in AAMRs for CAD among individuals with DM from 1999 to 2020 indicates improvements in healthcare management. However, the ongoing disparities based on race, gender, and geography call for targeted public health interventions to guarantee fair access to cardiovascular care. Additional endeavors are necessary to comprehend and alleviate the root causes of these inequalities.