ABSTRACT
There can be no doubt that patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are at very high risk of developing and dying from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Numerous prospective cohort studies have indicated that DM is associated with a three-to fourfold increase in risk for coronary artery disease (CHD). The increase in risk is particularly evident in both younger age groups and women. Females with type 2 DM appear to lose most of the protection from ASCVD that characterizes nondiabetic females. When a diabetic patient has a myocardial infarction, in-hospital mortality of patients with DM is 50% greater than that of the general population. Furthermore, diabetics have a twofold increased rate of death within 2 years of surviving a myocardial infarction. Overall, CHD is the leading cause of death in individuals with DM who are over the age of 35 years.
