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Managing diabetic dyslipidemia: Beyond statin therapy

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Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus. The lipid profile of type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by increased triglycerides (TGs), decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), increased very low density lipoproteins (VLDLs), and small, dense low-density lipoprotein particles, the combination of which is highly atherogenic. In diabetic patients, current treatment guidelines target low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ≤ 100 mg/dL with statins. In patients with elevated TGs, non-HDL-C is considered a secondary target of therapy. Despite the use of statin therapy in diabetes, a significant number of fatal and nonfatal coronary heart disease (CHD) events still occur, indicating the need to target other modifiable risk factors for CHD, including high TGs and low HDL-C.

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  1. Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 654 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Hemanth Neeli

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  1. Hemanth Neeli
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  2. Ram Gadi
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  3. Daniel J. Rader
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Correspondence to Hemanth Neeli.

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Neeli, H., Gadi, R. & Rader, D.J. Managing diabetic dyslipidemia: Beyond statin therapy. Curr Diab Rep 9, 11–17 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-009-0004-y

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