[Acute coronary syndrome in diabetes]

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease with explicit complications on coronary vascular system. The incidence of coronary disease is rising in type 1 as well as in type 2 diabetes mellitus, and it is caused by precipitating atherosclerosis. It is unquestionable that disorders of different metabolic pathways cause acute coronary syndrome, the same holding true for postinfarction complications. Strict blood glucose control (glucose value should be close to the physiologic values) is imperative not only in the prevention but also in the treatment of acute coronary syndrome and prevention of reinfarction. It is obvious that medicamentous and surgical treatment of coronary heart disease in diabetic patients can reduce morbidity and mortality. The treatment of acute coronary heart syndrome in diabetic patients is very similar to that in nondiabetic patients, however, it demands extra efforts to establish good metabolic control. Due to more than one narrowing of coronary arteries in diabetic patients, angioplasty is often less efficient and there is a need of specific evaluation by a cardio-cardio surgical team to choose the method of treatment: stent implantation or arterial bypass. The strategy of optimal revascularization for diabetic patients who have multivascular coronary heart disease is still controversial. Although data on early percutaneous or surgical revascularization show longterm benefit, the early studies were carried out before the extensive use of intracoronary stents and thrombocyte inhibitors GP IIb/IIa. A dilemma about this question showed up when excellent results of drug eluting intracoronary stents brought up credibility of compared studies. For best patient selection, it has been recommended that decision should be based more on coronary anatomy rather than the presence or absence of diabetes mellitus. Surgical revascularization (CAGB) should be considered in patients with diabetes mellitus who have stenosis of the left main coronary artery, significant diffuse stenosis involving each of epicardial vessels, and patients who have mild to significant left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Patients with a relatively focal nature of the disease and free from left main coronary artery or confluence of front left descendent artery could be considered for PCI (primary coronary intervention). When stents become widely available, patients would probably request PCI first instead of CABG. It is very important to remember that irrespective of PCI or CABG being preferred in diabetic patients, the role of drug therapy is enormous. Due to the diabetic patient susceptibility to fast progression of the disease and plaque rupture, drug therapy is indispensable in this population, e.g., aspirin, clopidogrel, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglytaryl-coenzyme A (HMGCoA) inhibitor reductase and ACE-inhibitor.