IMR Press / RCM / Volume 8 / Issue 3 / pii/1561094448673-1417264559

Reviews in Cardiovascular Medicine (RCM) is published by IMR Press from Volume 19 Issue 1 (2018). Previous articles were published by another publisher in Open Access under a CC-BY (or CC-BY-NC-ND) licence, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with MedReviews, LLC.

Open Access Review
Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: Explaining the Relationship
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1 Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
2020 Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
2021 Division of Hematology and Thromboembolism, Department of Medicine, McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2007, 8(3), 145–153;
Published: 30 September 2007
Abstract
Diabetes is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, even elevated glucose levels below the diabetic range increase cardiovascular risk. There are several possible explanations for this relationship. First, glucose and its metabolites have direct toxic effects on vascular endothelium. Second, abnormal glucose is evidence of absolute or relative insulin deficiency, which can predispose patients to cardiovascular disease via endothelial dysfunction, lipid abnormalities, and inflammation. Third, antecedent factors, such as toxins, abnormal energy storage, and hypertension, may contribute to the development of both diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Whether glucose lowering can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease is currently being studied in a number of large trials.
Keywords
Diabetes mellitus
Dysglycemia
Cardiovascular disease
Insulin
Glucose lowering
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