EARLY DISTURBANCES OF CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM — A TARGET FOR PRIMARY CARDIOVASCULAR PREVENTION

Abstract

The paper discusses the social and economic costs associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of disability and complications in DM patients. The diagnostics and correction of the early disturbances of carbohydrate metabolism are important components of the primary prevention of Type 2 DM (DM-2). The DM-2 development is preceded by the abnormalities typically overlooked by the busy practitioners, such as impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance. The authors present the evidence from international clinical trials confirming that the early disturbances of carbohydrate metabolism are an independent risk factor of CVD. Therefore, recently, the importance of the combined primary prevention of DM-2 and diabetes-associated CVD has been extensively discussed.