Irregular diabetes medication use raises heart risk, study finds

Adults with type 2 diabetes who do not take their medication consistently face a higher risk of serious cardiovascular events, Danish broadcaster DR reports. The finding comes from a University of Copenhagen study that tracked medication use among nearly 80,000 Danes over a 10 year period.

The study found that 41 percent consistently followed the recommended medication regimen, a measure known as high adherence. Another 33 percent had moderate adherence, while 26 percent quickly fell away from treatment and maintained low adherence.

People who did not take their medication regularly had a 27 percent higher risk of serious cardiovascular events than those who consistently followed their treatment. The group with moderate adherence had a 7 percent higher risk.

The study’s lead researcher, Jordi Merino, a lecturer at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center at the University of Copenhagen, said the findings showed that continuing to take medication in the years after diagnosis had a real impact on heart health.

“It underlines the need to offer individual support early after diagnosis, rather than assuming that a prescription is enough on its own,” Merino said.