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Young women with type 2 diabetes are more likely to suffer heart disease, according to a new study.

The latest study involved 1,256 Argentine premenopausal and menopausal women with and without type 2 diabetes. The women, who were between the ages of 19 and 84, underwent ultrasound imaging to measure plaque in their carotid arteries, a major artery running down the neck.

The findings revealed that even after accounting for age, family history, smoking history as well as high blood pressure and menopausal status, plaque buildup was significantly more common in women with type 2 diabetes compared to those who didn't have the metabolic disease.

"To reduce the risk of heart attacks, we recommend screening women with type 2 diabetes at younger ages, even if they don't have other known risk for heart disease," Nestor Garcia, M.D., Ph.D, investigator from Blossom DMO, Cordoba, Argentina and CONICET, an Argentine government agency in Buenos Aires, Argentina, said in a news release.

The latest findings are important because the rate of type 2 diabetes, which can raise the risk of heart disease, is increasing in the United States. Furthermore, heart disease, which can be caused by the gradual buildup of plaque in the arteries, is already the leading cause of death in America.

The findings were presented at the American Heart Association High Blood Pressure Research Scientific Sessions 2013.