Background: Diabetes is one of the six primary risk factors identified for myocardial infarction, others being dyslipidaemia, smoking, male gender, hypertension and family history of atherosclerotic arterial disease. Diabetes mellitus patients experience a more complicated post myocardial infarction course including a greater incidence of post infarction, angina, infarct extension and heart failure. Material and methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Medicine at Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla with Objectives to study the clinical profile & risk factors of acute myocardial infarction in diabetic and non diabetic hospitalized patients. Results: The mean age of patients in the diabetic group and non diabetic group was 64.4±8.6 years and 58.1 ±10.9 years respectively. Risk factors were analyzed during the study and known hypertensive patients, basal metabolic index, obesity, age, family history of diabetes, random blood sugar, was found to be of statistically significance. Among Clinical features in diabetics and non diabetics, 35 and 48 respectively had chest pain. 36% and 30% respectively had dyspnea, 24 and 29 patients respectively had diaphoresis, 15 and 13 patients respectively had presyncope and syncope. Among diabetics 4 patients had heart failure as compared to 3 patients among non diabetic group. For atrioventricular conduction defects and rhythm disturbances in diabetic patients, 1 patient had PSVT, 2 had atrial fibrillation, 5 patients had ventricular tachycardia and 5 patients had complete heart block. The in hospital mortality rate was 22% in diabetic group and 14% in non-diabetic group. Conclusions: Diabetics with myocardial infarction encounter more adverse clinical complications as well as outcome as predicted.
