Dysglycemia/prediabetes and cardiovascular risk factors

Obesity and diabetes are becoming a pandemic in developing and industrialized countries. Based on the current criteria, 24.1 million Americans have diabetes, and another 57 million have prediabetes. The term prediabetes refers to people who have impaired fasting glucose (100-125 mg/dL), impaired glucose tolerance (2-hour postglucose load of 140-199 mg/dL), or both. Many persons with prediabetes already have microvascular disease consequences (eg, blindness, amputations, kidney failure) similar to those seen in patients with a diagnosis of diabetes. However, it is not established whether prediabetes should be considered a coronary heart disease risk equivalent. Whether dysglycemia is a surrogate for a more complex metabolic condition and/or directly increases cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk remains unclear. However, many studies have shown that hyperglycemia, through various mechanisms, can lead to premature atherosclerosis. In this regard, several diabetes prevention trials have shown that strategies that reduce the rate of conversion to diabetes can also modify CVD risk factors.