Cardiac dysfunction tends to predict mortality in people with type 2 diabetes who have had a recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to a randomized trial involving >7,200 individuals. Metabolic dysfunction has less of an impact. Participants were from the AleCardio trial, which tested the dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonist aleglitazar’s effect on cardiovascular outcomes. Investigators looked at independent mortality predictors in participants with diabetes and a recent ACS. Among the results:

• All-cause mortality was 4%.
• Cardiovascular death accounted for 73% of mortality.
• The mortality prediction model included these markers of cardiac dysfunction: N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide, lack of coronary revascularization, prior coronary artery bypass, and prior myocardial infarction.