This review highlights the complex pathophysiological mechanisms linking diabetes and cardiovascular disease, emphasizing the need to understand these pathways to improve patient care.
In Brief The pathophysiology of the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease(CVD) is complex and multifactorial. Understanding these profound mechanisms of disease can help clinicians identify and treat CVD in patients with diabetes, as well as help patients prevent these potentially devastating complications. This article reviews the biological basis of the link between diabetes and CVD, from defects in the vasculature to the cellular and molecular mechanisms specific to insulin-resistant states and hyperglycemia. It concludes with a discussion of heart failure in diabetes, a clinical entity that demonstrates many of the mechanisms discussed.
Betsy B. Dokken (Tue,) studied this question.