Review article

Diabetes and Coronary Heart Disease

Izet Aganović
Jozo Boras
Nikica Car
Željko Metelko

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasingly gaining
pandemic dimensions. Along with the growing number of
the newly detected patients, the increase of diabetes type II in
younger age deserves special attention. The leading cause of
mortality in patients with diabetes are cardiovascular diseases
(CVD) including coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular
disease and peripheral vascular disease. Atherosclerotic
changes in patients with diabetes are more severe, diffusely
distributed and usually inadequate for dilatation. Clinical features
of coronary heart disease are dominated by ischemic
pain, often accompanied only by dispnea (an equivalent to angina),
mute ischemia or mute myocardial infarction. Having this
in mind, the recommendations for diagnostic procedures are
somewhat different than in persons without diabetes. The aim
of treatment is the reduction of risks for coronary heart disease
(primary prevention), i.e. slowing down atherosclerotic processes
in patients with already established coronary disease (secondary
prevention). The treatment of coronary heart disease
does not differ in patients with or without diabetes.

Keywords

diabetes mellitus; coronary heart disease; atherosclerosis; diagnostics; treatment

Hrčak ID:

20519

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/20519

Publication date:

27.1.2003.

Article data in other languages: croatian

Visits: 4.431 *