Abstract
BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and can worsen the risk of cardiovascular events among patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, strong evidence is needed to show the impact of DM on all-cause mortality (ACM) and atrial fibrillation (AF), which we explored in this systematic review and meta-analysis. AIM: To determine the impact of DM on ACM and AF in patients with HCM. METHODS: PubMed, Google Scholar, and EMBASE databases were searched for studies showing the effect of DM on ACM and AF in HCM. A binary random effects model with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to pool odds ratios (ORs) for ACM and AF outcomes. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool and leave-one-out sensitivity analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Fourteen studies (n = 106138) with a mean age of 61.76 ± 19.84 years and 61.55% males were included in our systematic review; ten studies (n = 102882) were eligible for meta-analysis. In the unadjusted analysis, DM was not significantly associated with ACM (OR = 0.96; 95%CI: 0.43-2.15; P = 0.93). However, after adjustment, DM showed a significant association with higher ACM risk (adjusted OR = 1.37; 95%CI: 1.16-1.61; P < 0.01). DM was significantly associated with AF in both unadjusted (OR = 2.02; 95%CI: 1.14-3.58; P = 0.04) and adjusted analyses (adjusted OR = 2.68; 95%CI: 1.68-4.27; P = 0.01). The Joanna Briggs Institute tool revealed a low risk of bias. Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis, performed by sequentially excluding each study, demonstrated no significant change in the overall effect estimates, indicating the robustness and stability of our results. CONCLUSION: DM significantly increased the risk of ACM and AF, highlighting the importance of tighter glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factor modification among patients with HCM.