In diabetes, treat hidden heart disease
Willa A. Hsueh, MD
Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, University of California, Los Angeles
Address: Willa A. Hsueh, MD, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension, University of California, Los Angeles, 900 Veteran Avenue, Suite 24-130, PO Box 957073, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Dr. Hsueh has indicated that she has received grant or research support from the Bristol-Myers Squibb and Parke-Davis corporations, and serves as a consultant and on the speakers' bureau for Merck and Co. Her lecture was supported by a grant from Parke-Davis.
ABSTRACT
Both diabetic and prediabetic patients have abnormal vascular reactivity and should be considered to have occult cardiovascular disease. Angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are particularly beneficial in diabetes because they reduce the incidence of both cardiovascular events and diabetes-related complications. In prediabetic patients, ACE inhibitors also reduce the risk of a new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Managing hypertension is even more beneficial for diabetic patients than for nondiabetic patients. To further reduce the risk of heart disease in patients with diabetes or prediabetes, dyslipidemia should also be treated aggressively.