Type 2 Diabetes As An Inflammatory Cardiovascular Disorder

D.      Ziegler

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes carries a 2-6-fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death. Indeed, the risk of major cardiovascular events in Type 2 diabetic patients without history of coronary heart disease (CHD) is equivalent to that observed in non-diabetic subjects with CHD. However, atherosclerosis may also precede the development of diabetes, suggesting that both disorders share common genetic and environmental antecedent factors (“common soil” hypothesis). One such a possible ancestor is insulin resistance which constitutes both a major feature of Type 2 diabetes and an independent risk factor for CHD. It is well documented that inflammatory processes play an important role in the causation of atherosclerotic CVD. Inflammatory mediators play a paramount role in the initiation, progression, and rupture of atherosclerotic plaques. Thus, markers of

Keywords: atherosclerosis, inflammation, macrophages, high sensitivity c-reactive protein (hscrp), low-density lipoprotein (ldl) cholesterol, leukocyte, chemoattraction, interferon, angistensin, crp-transgenic (crp-tg) mouse model