title: Epidemiology of cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes.
abstract: Cardiovascular complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes patients have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and a poorer outcome from cardiovascular events than do patients without diabetes. Although part of this increased risk may be related to glycaemic control, other factors are also involved. Several of the known cardiovascular risk factors are increased in patients with Type 2 diabetes, including hyperinsulinaemia, hypertension, dyslipidaemia (decreased high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and increased plasma triglycerides and a preponderance of small, dense low density lipoprotein particles) and abdominal obesity. All these changes appear to be related to insulin resistance, which is a key feature of Type 2 diabetes. Addressing cardiovascular risk factors, particularly insulin resistance, therefore, should be an equally important part of the management of Type 2 diabetes as glycaemic control.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Clinico San Carlos de Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Serrano Rios
mesh_terms: D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors