Impact of nutritional risk status on glycemic control and cardiovascular events in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease

Liu Qi; Li Yingwen; Long Jieer; Pan Zongqi; Deng Qinqin

doi:10.3760/j.issn.1673-4777.2026.01.002

Abstract：Objective To explore the impact of nutritional risk status on glycemic control and the occur-rence of cardiovascular events in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)complicated with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease(CAD).Methods A total of 111 elderly patients with T2DM complicated with CAD admitted to Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine from June 2024 to June 2025 were selected as the research objects.The nutritional risk screening scale(NRS 2002)was used to assess the nutritional risk of patients,who were divided into nutritional risk group(28 cases)and non-nutritional risk group(83 cases)according to the assessment results.Baseline data of patients were collected,and blood glucose indicators of the two groups were detected;meanwhile,the occurrence of cardiovascular events was recorded.Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlations between nutritional risk status and glycemic control as well as the occurrence of cardiovascular events.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify the risk factors influencing poor glycemic control and the occurrence of cardiovascular events.Results There were statistically significant differences in the number of complications,C-reactive protein(CRP)level,and albumin level between the two groups(all P＜0.05).The levels of glycated hemoglobin,fasting blood glucose,and 2 h postprandial blood glucose in the nutritional risk group were significantly higher than those in the non-nutritional risk group(all P＜0.05).The incidence of poor glycemic control in the nutritional risk group was 60.7％(17/28),which was significantly higher than 24.1％(20/83)in the non-nutritional risk group(P＜0.05).The total incidence of cardiovascular events in the nutritional risk group was 53.6％(15/28),which was significantly higher than 19.3％(16/83)in the non-nutritional risk group(P＜0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that nutritional risk status was positively correlated with poor glycemic control and cardiovascular events(r=0.386,P=0.005;r=0.425,P=0.002,respectively).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that nutritional risk status,number of complications ≥ 2,elevated CRP level,and decreased albumin level were independent risk factors for poor glycemic control and cardiovascular events in the patients(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Nutritional risk status significantly exacerbates the deterioration of glycemic control and increases the risk of cardiovascular events in elderly patients with T2DM complicated with CAD.Moreover,nutritional risk status is positively correlated with poor glycemic control and cardiovascular events.Multivariate analysis further confirms that nutritional risk status,number of complications ≥2,elevated CRP level,and decreased albumin level are independent risk factors for poor glycemic control and cardiovascular events,suggesting that clinical practice should strengthen nutritional screening and intervention to improve prognosis.