by Colin Kenny, GP, Dromore
It has been previously observed that raised triglycerides may predict progression of diabetes to require insulin. The aim of this Italian study was to evaluate cardiovascular risk factors in an outpatient population with type 2 diabetes in order to estimate their specific clinical value in predicting long-term mortality. In the study, 1917 outpatients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes were followed up for a period of 10 years after having had information recorded that included personal, clinical and biochemical data, and pharmacological treatment.
Mean triglyceride levels during follow-up were significantly associated with all-cause mortality, independent of confounding factors such as mean values of LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, HbA1c, blood pressure, BMI and fasting glucose, and antihypertensive and antidiabetes treatment. This finding suggests that more attention should be given to the management of cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes who high triglycerides levels, although it does not suggest specifically targeting triglyceride levels.
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