New approach to diabetes care: From blood glucose to cardiovascular disease

We describe the close relationship between diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular disease, and examine multifactorial approaches to diabetes treatment, including reducing cardiovascular risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Finally, we analyze new prospects for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, resulting from the development of novel antidiabetic drugs.The aim of this review is that the clinician should assume the crucial role of guiding individuals with diabetes in the control of their disease, in order to improve their quality of life and prognosis. In view of the currently available evidence, the emergence of new glucose-reducing therapies with proven cardiovascular benefit means that the best therapeutic strategy for diabetes must go beyond reducing hyperglycemia and aim to reduce cardiovascular risk.ResumoA diabetes mellitus (DM) é uma das patologias crónicas mais prevalentes no século XXI, constituindo uma doença metabólica com consequências vasculares por aceleração dos processos ateroscleróticos. Caracterizada pela incapacidade de produção ou utilização de insulina, e consequente hiperglicemia e insulinopenia, a DM ocasiona diversas complicações microvasculares, tais como retinopatia e nefropatia, e macrovasculares, incluindo enfarte agudo do miocárdio e acidente vascular cerebral, as quais põem em causa a qualidade e expectativa de vida da pessoa com diabetes. Descrevemos a estreita relação entre DM, fatores de risco cardiova...
Source: Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research