Sex differences in the effect of diabetes mellitus on platelet reactivity and coronary thrombosis: From the Assessment of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy with Drug-Eluting Stents (ADAPT-DES) study.

BACKGROUND: Whether the consequences of diabetes mellitus (DM) are worse for women than for men treated with drug-eluting stents (DES) and antiplatelet therapy remain unclear.

METHODS: Patients from the Assessment of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy With Drug-Eluting Stents study were stratified according to sex and DM status. We investigated the sex-specific effect of DM on high on-clopidogrel platelet reactivity (HPR), defined as a P2Y12 reaction units ≥208, and the adjusted association of DM on the 2-year risk for coronary thrombotic events (CTE), defined as spontaneous myocardial infarction or definite or probable stent thrombosis.

RESULTS: Out of 8582 patients included in the study, 829 were women with DM (9.6%) and 1954 were men with DM (16.2%). The prevalence of insulin-treated DM (ITDM) was greater in women (p<0.0001). By multivariable logistic regression, DM was associated with a greater likelihood of HPR that was uniform between sexes (pint =0.88). Following adjustment for baseline variables and HPR, in women a stepwise increase in risk for CTEs was observed in the transition from no DM to non-ITDM (NITDM) (adjusted hazard ratio [adjHR]: 1.31; 95% CI: 0.78-2.18) to ITDM (adjHR: 2.69; 95% CI: 1.23-3.45). This increase in risk associated with subtypes of DM was of smaller magnitude in men (for NITDM, adjHR: 1.04; 95% CI: 0.77-1.39; for ITDM, adjHR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.05-2.03; pint =0.016).

CONCLUSIONS: In a population treated with DES and antiplatelet therapy, the risk for CTE associated with DM seems to be greater in women and was independent of HPR.