Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Cardiovascular Disease: Focus on The Effect of Anti-Hyperglycemic Treatments on Cardiovascular Outcomes.

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease contribute to significant morbidity, mortality, and health care resource expenditure. The pathophysiological and clinical associations between diabetes and cardiovascular disease have been the subject of multiple studies, most recently culminating in large trials of several new anti-glycemic agents being found to confer additional cardiovascular risk reduction. Understanding the potential cardiovascular benefits of anti-glycemic medications offers the unique opportunity to reduce the morbidity and mortality presented by both diseases at once.Areas covered: The literature search was comprised of a Pubmed search querying "cardiovascular outcomes" and "diabetes". This article reviews the pathophysiology of cardiovascular complications in type 2 diabetes and the cardiovascular outcome trials related to newer anti-glycemic medications.Expert opinion: The treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease is rapidly advancing. In particular, the sodium-glucose cotransporter- 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and glucagon- like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists have demonstrated cardiovascular benefit by reducing major adverse cardiovascular events and cardiovascular mortality. Future directions of the treatment of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease will focus on targeting and preventing diabetic cardiomyopathy and further defining the role of SGLT2 inhibitors and of GLP-1 receptor agonists in additional patient populations.