Diabetes, incretin hormones and cardioprotection

The diabetes pandemic In 2012 an estimated 371 million people had diabetes and of those about a half were undiagnosed. That number is set to expand to 552 million by 2030. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) constitutes 85–95% of all diabetes in high income nations and may account for an even greater proportion in their low and middle income counterparts (figure 1). As a global pandemic, diabetes claimed the lives of 4.8 million people in 2012, half of whom were below the age of 60 years.w1 The predominant cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetes is cardiovascular disease, with at least a twofold excess risk of developing a multitude of vascular pathologies including ischaemic heart disease, different stroke subtypes, peripheral arterial disease, and heart failure.w2 w3 Indeed, as many as 80% of T2DM patients will develop and possibly die from macrovascular complications.w3 Such stark findings have led...
Source: Heart - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Diabetic heart disease, Education in Heart, Drugs: cardiovascular system, Epidemiology, Diabetes, Metabolic disorders Source Type: research