Diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic disease with >500 million people affected worldwide and currently 8,7 million in Germany. About 90% of diabetes cases are due to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). This form of diabetes is characterized by an increased release of proinflammatory adipokines, endothelial dysfunction and hyperglycemia, among others. Hypertension and dyslipidemia are also very commonly present. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease is about 2-3 times higher in T2D than in age-matched individuals without a diagnosis of diabetes. Cardiovascular mortality is also about twice as high in people with diabetes compared to a non-diabetic population. People with diabetes are therefore generally considered a high-risk cardiovascular group and require special attention in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Contributing factors to reduce high cardiovascular risk include a healthy lifestyle, normalization of blood pressure, optimization of blood lipid levels, and specific diabetes therapy tailored to cardiovascular risk. This review addresses the specific treatment options for reducing cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes mellitus.
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