Family history of diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk factors and mortality among euglycemic, borderline hyperglycemic, and diabetic adults.

In a prospective population-based study begun in 1972 in Rancho Bernardo, California, the association of cardiovascular disease risk factors, at baseline, with a family history of diabetes and subsequent death from cardiovascular disease was investigated among 3,081 euglycemic, 1,290 borderline hyperglycemic, and 347 diabetic adults between 20 and 79 years of age. The main difference in risk factor distribution was in diabetic men and women 20-49 years of age, of whom those with a family history of diabetes were older and had higher levels of fasting plasma cholesterol and triglyceride. In addition, in all age-sex-diabetes status groups, those with a family history of diabetes included a greater proportion with a family history of heart attack. In five out of 12 groups, the association was statistically significant. Significant independent predictors of cardiovascular disease mortality in euglycemic and borderline hyperglycemic adults were age, sex, cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure, while fasting plasma glucose was a significant predictor in euglycemic adults only. Family history of heart attack was significantly associated with cardiovascular disease mortality in euglycemic and borderline hyperglycemic adults. Family history of diabetes was not significantly associated with mortality risk in any of the three groups, but the risk followed an increasing trend from euglycemic (0.89) to borderline hyperglycemic (1.17) to diabetic (1.31) adults.