Open AccessThe Role of Lipid‐lowering Therapy in Preventing Coronary Heart Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
Author(s) -
Karalis Dean G.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
clinical cardiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.263
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1932-8737
pISSN - 0160-9289
DOI - 10.1002/clc.20226
Subject(s) - medicine , dyslipidemia , diabetes mellitus , cardiology , type 2 diabetes , coronary heart disease , cholesterol , statin , disease , endocrinology
Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of death among diabetic patients. The increased risk of coronary heart disease in type 2 diabetes is due, in part, to lipid abnormalities often present in the diabetic patient. Diabetic dyslipidemia is characterized by elevated triglycerides, low high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) and an increased preponderance of small, dense low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) particles. Current guidelines for the prevention of coronary heart disease in diabetic patients identify elevated LDL‐C as the primary target of lipid‐lowering therapy, and recommend statins as the first‐line treatment for diabetic dyslipidemia. This review evaluates the large statin trials that have included diabetic patients, and discusses the role of combination therapy in managing dyslipidemia in diabetic patients. Copyright © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.