he relationship between diabetes and cardiovascular disease is growing ever-increasingly apparent, requiring experts to address the growing concerns of diabetes patients. But what is the true nature of this relationship? This issue will be examined at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 17th Annual Meeting & Clinical Congress, at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 15, 2008, at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort in Orlando.

“The mortality rate of a diabetes patient that has experienced a heart attack is approximately double that of the non-diabetic patient,” AACE member David S.H. Bell, MB, FACP, FACE said.

Furthermore, Bell said that the “type 2 diabetes patient has as much chance of having a myocardial infarction as a non-diabetic patient who has already had one. Therefore it’s necessary to regard the diabetes patient a cardiac patient during treatment.”

At the 2008 AACE Annual Meeting, the correlation between cardiovascular events and diabetes will be taking center stage. A special symposium titled “Clinical Trials Targeting Glycemia: What Do We Expect to Learn?” will consider the impact of glucose control through studies including ACCORD, ADVANCE, VADT, and others. Other sessions of interest include “Insulin Resistance and Atherosclerosis: The Missing Link,” and “Hypoglycemia: The Limiting Factor in the Glycemic Management of Diabetes.”

Source: American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE)