Diabetes and atherothrombotic disease: linked through inflammation?

Inflammation has been accepted as a key pathobiological mechanism in the development of cardiovascular disease, and acceptance is likely on its way for diabetes as well. Inflammation provides a linking mechanism between these two disorders, allowing them to influence each other in a wide variety of ways. Interventions aimed broadly at inflammation are likely to influence both diseases, and pathway-specific interventions may prove useful as well. The role of genetic variation remains poorly understood.