Thiazolidinediones and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Patients with type 2 diabetes experience high rates of co-morbid conditions such as hypertension and dyslipidemia that further compound their already increased risk of developing ischemic heart disease (IHD). IHD and hypertension, in turn, represent conditions that are major precursors of congestive heart failure (CHF), adding to the cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden in this patient population. This is reflected in the reported estimate of IHD prevalence in diabetics (approximating 22%)1and the reported 10-year incidence of CHF among elderly patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (exceeding 50%).2 The American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association have also noted in a joint scientific statement paper that CVD contributes to more than three-quarters of all death in diabetic patients.3