Med. praxi. 2015;12(1):22-26

Cardiovascular risk in diabetics

MUDr.Petr Žák, prof.MUDr.Miroslav Souček, CSc.

II. interní klinika LF MU a FN u sv. Anny v Brně

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly myocardial infarction and acute stroke, is the leading cause of death worldwide. According to

Health Organisation (WHO) CVD is every year responsible for some 17 millions of deaths. Diabetic women are at particularly high risk

of CVD; diabetes eliminates the usual female advantage for coronary disease mortality. Mechanisms linking pre-diabetes and type 2

diabetes with CVD has been extensively reviewed. Insulin resistance and postprandial glycemia (PPG) are likely to explain a major part

of enhanced atherothrombosis in diabetes type 2. Incretins, recently approved class of therapeutic agents for the treatment of type 2

diabetes, GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i), exert their actions through potentiation

of incretin receptor signaling and recovery “ incretin effect”. New prandial GLP-1 RA (lixisenatide) therapy is characterized with low risk

of hypoglycemia and improved control of PPG, both effects could be a mechanism linking effective treatment of type 2 diabetes and

reduction of cardiovascular risk.

Keywords: CVD, gender differences in cardiovascular risk, insulin resistance, PPG, GLP-1 receptor agonists

Published: February 27, 2015  Show citation