[Atherosclerosis in diabetes mellitus].

The clinical and epidemiological importance of cardiovascular diseases, has increased rapidly in recent years. Diabetes mellitus which serves as a basis for the development of atherosclerosis, are induced by a genetic predisposition coupled with environmental factors. Hypernutrition and insufficient exercise lead to diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance in individuals genetically predisposed to these disorders, which eventually produce ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. The report of the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT) suggested that the prevalence of atherosclerosis in patients with diabetes mellitus is two or three times that in individuals without diabetes, and a Finnish study has reported that the risk of ischemic heart disease is extremely high in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. In order to prevent the development of ischemic heart disease in patients with diabetes mellitus, the risks of development of hyperlipidemia, hypertension and other relevant diseases should be carefully controlled.