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Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in People With Dysglycemia

From the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Section of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Stefano Del Prato, MD, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Section of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Ospedale Cisanello, Via Paradisa, 2, 56124 Pisa, Italy. E-mail delprato{at}immr.med.unipi.it

Cardiovascular disease accounts for a great majority of deaths in patients with type 2 diabetes. According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients ranges from 26 to 36%. Fatality rate after myocardial infarction is greater in diabetic patients, and overall prognosis after coronary heart disease is worse. Based on these observations, it has been proposed that diabetes should be considered as a coronary heart disease risk equivalent. If that is the case, prevention of diabetes and early intervention should be pursued. This view is supported by the notion that cardiovascular risk is already increased in people with impaired glucose tolerance. Moreover, higher-than-optimum blood glucose is a major cause of cardiovascular mortality in most world regions of the world. Whether dysglycemia is a marker for a more complex metabolic condition or may directly contribute to excess cardiovascular risk is still a matter of debate. However, experimental work has shown how increased glucose level can trigger multiple mechanisms of susceptibility to atherosclerosis, and diabetes prevention trials have indicated that along with reduction of the rate of conversion toward diabetes, significant improvement in cardiovascular risk factors occurs. Moreover, in the STOP-NIDDM trial, targeting postprandial glucose was associated with reduction in new cases of hypertension, myocardial infarction, and any cardiovascular events. In conclusion, dysglycemia should be included in the list of established cardiovascular risk factors and early treatment introduced in the attempt to improve cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Abbreviations: CVD, cardiovascular disease • IFG, impaired fasting glucose • IGT, impaired glucose tolerance • UKPDS, U.K. Prospective Diabetes Study

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