Despite a 50% decline in incident CVD events over recent decades, adults with diabetes continue to face a twofold higher absolute risk compared to those without diabetes, underscoring the need for aggressive risk factor management.
We report a 50% reduction in the rate of incident CVD events among adults with diabetes, although the absolute risk of CVD is 2-fold greater than among persons without diabetes. Adults with and without diabetes have benefited similarly during the decline in CVD rates over the last several decades. More aggressive treatment of CVD risk factors and further research on diabetes-specific factors contributing to CVD risk are needed to further reduce the high absolute risk of CVD still experienced by persons with diabetes.
Caroline S. Fox (2004) studied this question.