ESC/EASD Joint Guidelines on Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases

The ESC/EASD (European Society of Cardiology/European Association for the Study of Diabetes) joint Guidelines on diabetes, pre-diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases have, for the first time, addressed diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) as a pathophysiological entity in Europe. Based on these guidelines, diabetes mellitus is regarded from the outset to be a cardiovascular disease, whose life-threatening complications myocardial infarction and stroke can only be avoided by an interdisciplinary concerted action. The most important information of these guidelines for the interdisciplinary cooperation of primary-care physicians, diabetologists and cardiologists are the postulations that patients with the main diagnosis diabetes mellitus with or without known CVD should, at regular intervals, be referred to a cardiologist, and patients with the main diagnosis CVD with or without diabetes mellitus should, at regular intervals, be referred to a diabetologist. Of fundamental importance is the prevention of diabetes and CVD by a comprehensive lifestyle modification including smoking cessation, regular physical activity and weight control, flanked by an evidence-based drug therapy. Within the framework of a multimodal risk management, an optimal antihypertensive therapy of a concomitant elevated blood pressure; a statin therapy in case of elevated LDL cholesterol or regardless of an elevated LDL in proven CVD; ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, or beta-blockers in case of heart failure; and an anticoagulant therapy for the prevention of cardioembolic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation all have class I recommendations. Concerning the preferred coronary revascularization procedure in diabetics, today no rigid general recommendation can be given in favor of or against coronary bypass surgery, or in favor of or against percutaneous coronary intervention. The decision for a specific revascularization procedure should, in any case, be based on a detailed analysis of the individual coronary anatomy.