title: Reducing cardiovascular risk in diabetes. Which factors to modify first?
abstract: Up to 80% of diabetic patients die of macrovascular complications, including CAD, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. Because of the growing numbers of diabetic patients and the increased mortality after their first cardiovascular event, it is critical to identify and treat risk factors early and aggressively in these patients. Numerous studies in patients with type 2 diabetes have shown the benefits of aggressive treatment of blood pressure and lipids to levels that 10 years ago would have seemed abnormally low. The downward changes in "normal" limits can be frustrating to primary care physicians, but advances in treatment are redefining "normal" levels required to avoid complications in this high-risk population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, USA. robert-spanheimer@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Spanheimer
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D006712:Homocystinuria / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008019:Life Style; D017566:Microvascular Angina / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D000074606:Smoking Prevention