Tier 3 — preclinical

Macrovascular Complications of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Viigimaa M, Sachinidis A, Toumpourleka M, Koutsampasopoulos K, Alliksoo S, Titma T
Current Vascular Pharmacology 2020 18(2):110-116

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 30961498
DOI
10.2174/1570161117666190405165151
Funding
Not stated in the abstract. The full text of this paper could not be located despite request; this field could not be independently verified and should be re-checked if the full text becomes available.
Competing interests
Not stated in the abstract. The full text of this paper could not be located despite request; this field could not be independently verified and should be re-checked if the full text becomes available.

Study snapshot

DesignNarrative literature review
ModelN/A - review of clinical literature on type 2 diabetes mellitus and macrovascular disease
SampleN/A - review
InterventionN/A - review of type 2 diabetes as a risk factor for macrovascular disease
DurationN/A - review
EndpointsCoronary heart disease risk in type 2 diabetes; Cerebrovascular disease risk in type 2 diabetes; Peripheral artery disease risk in type 2 diabetes; Cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia/sudden death risk in type 2 diabetes

What the study showed, in plain terms

This review summarises how type 2 diabetes damages the large blood vessels, as opposed to the small vessels affected in diabetic neuropathy, covering coronary heart disease, heart rhythm problems, stroke risk, and peripheral artery disease, the main cause of poor circulation to the legs and feet in people with diabetes. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes, and high blood sugar and insulin resistance are identified as key drivers, though other risk factors like high blood pressure, obesity and high cholesterol are usually present alongside diabetes and make it hard to isolate diabetes's effect alone.

Key findings

  • Macrovascular complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) include coronary heart disease, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias and sudden death, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral artery disease.
  • Cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death in patients with diabetes.
  • T2DM causes macrovascular damage through pathogenetic pathways that include hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance.
  • The association between T2DM and vascular disease is well established, but other risk factors (hypertension, obesity, dyslipidaemia) are almost always present alongside diabetes, making it difficult to isolate diabetes's independent contribution in clinical studies.

What this study can and cannot tell us

This is a narrative review, not a systematic review or meta-analysis, and no methodology (search strategy, inclusion criteria, quality assessment) is described in the abstract. This entry was built from the PubMed abstract only because the full text could not be obtained despite request; funding, competing interests, and any quantitative data supporting the narrative claims above have not been independently verified and should be re-checked if the full text becomes available.

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology