No abstract

resulted in 6184 patients (mean age 71.3Ϯ5.4 years, 60.1% male) being enrolled. Of these patients, 1731 (27.9%) had type 2 DM. The propensity score-matching algorithm successfully matched 1113 patients with type 2 DM with the same number of no-DM patients. The postmatching standard differences were less than 0.1 for each of the covariates, and 64.2% of DM patients were matched. The early (30 days) mortality rate was 7.8% (nϭ87) versus 2.9% (nϭ33) in patients with or without type 2 DM (PϽ0.001), respectively. Seven-year freedom from valve deterioration was significantly lower in patients with DM (73.2% [95% confidence interval, 61.6 -85.5] versus 95.4% [95% confidence interval, 83.9 -100], PϽ0.001). In Cox regression models with robust SEs that accounted for the clustering of matched pairs, DM was the strongest predictor of structural valve degeneration (hazard ratio 2.39 [95% confidence interval 2.28 -3.52]). When we allowed for interaction between type 2 DM and other key risk factors, DM remained a significant predictor beyond any potentially associated variable. Conclusions-Patients

No abstract