Diabetes Mellitus and ischaemic heart disease: a review

Diabetes mellitus (DM) affects 180 million patients worldwide. It is present in up to 25% to 30% of all patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). It is also associated with increased cardiovascular risk and mortality, and has long been recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is also an independent predictor of adverse clinical outcomes after PCI.
This review by M. Al Awadi et al aimed to study diabetes mellitus in order to reduce the high morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients.
According to their conclusion, “diabetes mellitus, a simultaneously endocrine and metabolic disease, is an especially aggressive process leading to vascular lesions. In order to reduce the high morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients the goals of prevention must be maximal on non-diabetic persons who already have ischaemic heart disease.”