ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major risk factor for accelerated atherosclerosis, is associated with a markedly increased prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarction (MI), and cardiac death, and is rapidly becoming a major public health concern in Western countries. The overall prevalence of CAD, as assessed by various invasive and noninvasive measures, is as high as 55% among adult patients with DM, compared with 2 to 4% for the general population. Diabetes mellitus also represents an independent risk factor for morbidity and mortality. The cardiovascular mortality rate has more than doubled in men and more than quadrupled in women with DM, compared to their counterparts without DM, and post-MI prognosis is also significantly worse in these patients.
